No. Birth mothers must choose between two options:

1. Take the traditional maternity leave including any applicable right to borrow days and/or use a grace period; or
2. Take a UFT parental leave. Under this option, immediately following the birth of a child, a birth mother may choose to use up to six weeks of CAR days for a vaginal birth and may use up to eight weeks of CAR days for a C-section birth. Following the use of her CAR days, the birth mother can use UFT parental leave for up to an additional six weeks — for a total of 12 to 14 weeks.

• If you physically gave birth to a child, you may use your available CAR/sick day balance immediately after your child’s birth for up to a maximum of six calendar weeks (eight weeks for a C-section) before beginning UFT parental leave for an additional six weeks.
• If you did not give birth to a child, you are eligible for up to six weeks of UFT parental leave beginning on the date of the birth or adoption of the child.
• If your newborn can’t come home from the hospital with you: In a new provision in the 2023 contract, if the newborn must remain in the hospital (in a neonatal intensive care unit or otherwise) longer than a typical stay, the parental leave can be delayed for either the birth parent or their partner, and the birth parent can borrow days and use a grace period for up to six weeks following the vaginal birth or eight weeks following a C-section if she doesn’t have enough CAR days in her bank. In no case, however, may parental leave start later than three months after the birth of a child. 

Members can apply for a UFT parental leave 15 days before giving birth but no later than 10 days after delivery. If the birth date is significantly different from the due date, you can revise your information in SOLAS as long as you log back in within 10 days of giving birth. You must log into to SOLAS to confirm your baby's arrival date whenever the birth occurs. 

Both parents are each entitled to six weeks of UFT parental leave if they both work for the DOE in UFT-represented titles. In the 2023 DOE-UFT contract, the union fixed a thorny issue with the original 2018 parental leave agreement: When both the parent and the nonbirth parent were UFT-represented employees, they were entitled to a collective total of only six weeks of parental leave. Under the updated contract provision, this couple may now take a total of 12 weeks of parental leave.

The combined 12 weeks of parental leave can run concurrently (six weeks each, at the same time) or consecutively (six weeks for one parent, followed by six weeks for the other parent). However, one parent may not donate their leave time to the other to increase one's UFT parental leave period beyond six weeks. 

Any time a person is off payroll, their summer pay is reduced accordingly. In other words, if you are off payroll for 10% of the school year, your summer pay would be reduced roughly 10%. If you are on a UFT parental leave, this loss is compensated for in the check you receive from the Welfare Fund. Any time that you are out on a child care leave, or any time off payroll outside of the six/eight weeks of parental leave, will result in a vacation pay reduction.

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You can stop working a week before your due date without any additional medical documentation. If you want to go on leave before that, you would need a note from your doctor that includes a diagnosis and prognosis.

Yes.  People who do not return from a UFT parental leave are responsible to repay the money they received while on this leave. If you do not return to active service for 12 calendar months, you will be required to pay back the UFT parental leave benefit.

People can borrow days before the birth in what is known as maternity disability. Once the baby is born, birth mothers can only borrow days if they take maternity leave. There is no right to borrow days if you take a UFT parental leave. 

UFT parental leave provides for six weeks of paid leave. Birth parents can supplement these weeks by using CAR days in their bank from the day of birth until either their available days run out, or six weeks’ worth (eight weeks for a C-section) have been used. If a birth parent has the days in their bank, they could receive a total of 12 weeks of paid leave (14 weeks for a C-section). Members cannot borrow days or use a grace period. Members must commit to returning to the DOE for a minimum of one year following the leave.

Maternity leave is a birth parent’s right to use CAR days following a birth for six weeks (eight weeks for a C-section). Birth parents are allowed to borrow CAR days and use a grace period within the six-week (or eight-week) window. There is no return-to-service requirement, though if a birth parent borrows days, they must either return to service or repay those days to avoid being billed for them. There is no additional right to take a UFT parental leave in this case.

Once you have determined which leave best fits your personal circumstances, be sure to choose the correct term when applying through SOLAS. The city continues to provide health insurance in either case.

Unless there are special circumstances, you will not be eligible for a parental leave if you do not submit an application within 10 days of the birth. Late applications will be accepted and subject to review for valid special circumstances, which could relate to, but is not limited to, one of the following: a medical condition of the employee or the employee's family member, a premature birth, a death in the family, or reasonable travel necessary to adopt a child. 

For delivering parents, failure to submit during the proper time frame may result in being placed into a limited version of Traditional Maternity Leave WITHOUT the right to borrow days or to use a grace period.