Contract 2023: Sick, personal & other leave time

Bereavement

Employees may delay taking all or part of their bereavement leave to any point within three months of the death if the delay is in connection with a funeral or a memorial service that is scheduled later.

Parental Leave

The MOA addresses an issue that has been important to UFT members since the signing of the 2018 parental leave agreement: When both the parent and the non-birth parent were UFT-represented employees, they were entitled to a collective total of only six weeks of paid parental leave. Now, this couple may take a total of 12 weeks of paid parental leave. The related maximums for other combinations of leaves related to a parental-leave covered event (i.e., birth, adoption or placement in foster care) have been likewise adjusted to account for the total of 12 weeks of paid parental leave for both UFT-represented employees. This change will be financed by the existing parental leave fund.

If a baby remains hospitalized immediately after birth for a medical condition, the baby’s parent can delay the start of their parental leave until the baby is released from the hospital. In this circumstance only, the birth mother may, if eligible, borrow days and use grace for up to six weeks following the birth or eight weeks following a C-section if she doesn’t have enough CAR days in her bank.

Intermittent FMLA

The DOE will provide guidance on how staff may apply for a Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) intermittent leave at the school-level and submit medical documentation in a confidential manner. This change reflects the needs of employees who need to take off regular, but not continuous, time to receive fertility treatments.