UFT

🌸 #PinkDay is almost here! 💕 Let’s rock our pink attire and show our support for #BreastCancerAwareness on Wednesday, Oct. 15! Together, we can make a difference. 🎀

October is National Physical Therapy Month! Learn more about the physical therapy profession: https://www.uft.org/chapters/doe-chapters/occupational-and-physical-therapists/otpt-resources #ChoosePT

We are always on the lookout for opportunities for educators to receive recognition for their hard work and dedication. Here are a few current ones, and check this link regularly for the latest grants, awards and freebies available: https://www.uft.org/news/you-should-know/grants-awards-freebies

Join us as we celebrate Teacher Union Day, our annual commemoration of the strike that put the UFT on the path to becoming the organization it is today. The power of our union is in all of its members. Register by Oct. 6 for a discount! https://www.uft.org/get-involved/events/teacher-union-day-2025

October is Italian American Heritage Month and German American Heritage Month. Join us in recognizing the cultural contributions, heritage and accomplishments of Italian Americans and German Americans in the United States all month.

The NYC Employees PPO plan is officially approved, meaning UFT members and their families will have premium-free health care for the next 5 years!

The MLC voted to approve the new city health plan a day after the UFT Delegate Assembly voted in favor of the plan.

Learn more: uft.org/healthcareinfo

At PS 13 on Staten Island, UFT members and the principal began holding initial planning conferences "on the move." That seemingly minor change has delivered outsized benefits in teacher morale — and possibly even student achievement. Read: https://bit.ly/4pLm9Cq

Our Delegate Assembly has voted in favor of the NYC Employees PPO! This is an exciting step closer to five years of high-quality, premium-free health care.

On Tuesday, the MLC will vote on the health plan, with the UFT voting in accordance with the DA's decision.

Learn more: uft.org/healthcareinfo

AI academy launches This summer, the AFT and the UFT announced a $23 million partnership with Microsoft, Open AI and Anthropic to forge a first-of-its-kind teacher institute for artificial intelligence: the National Acad...

This summer, the AFT and the UFT announced a $23 million partnership with Microsoft, Open AI and Anthropic to forge a first-of-its-kind teacher institute for artificial intelligence: the National Academy for AI Instruction. Read: https://www.uft.org/news/news-stories/news-stories/ai-academy-launches

Jaime Escalante left a teaching career in Bolivia to move to the U.S., re-earning credentials and teaching AP calculus. He inspired Latino students with “ganas” (the desire to succeed). His story, told in the 1988 film “Stand and Deliver,” shows the power of high expectations. #HispanicHeritageMonth

The American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks are powerful events that unite communities across New York City to raise both awareness and funds. Register today to join your fellow UFT members. Remember to wear pink! 🩷 https://bit.ly/46cGmJz

Building strong ties between home and school Research shows a positive impact on students when teachers and families are able to work together effectively. Here are UFT Teacher Center tips and strategies to establish a solid relationship between...

A strong home-school connection is critical to student success. As a new teacher, your first order of business is to break the ice with your students’ families. Here are some Teacher Center tips and strategies to establish a solid relationship between home and school. https://bit.ly/3Kc4hjz

"In my pre-K classroom, we don’t have a set snack time. I’ve created a self-serve cart so students can get their own snacks when they choose during playtime, and our 'cart pushers' roll it outside for recess for students who want to eat their snack then."

— Melysa Solomon, PS 343 in Manhattan

Four UFT members smile as they canvass for Zohran Mamdani. They are wearing blue UFT swag.

Let's get out the vote for @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social at the UFT's canvass day in the Bronx this Saturday, Sept. 27! Register: www.uft.org/get-involved...

Ask and you shall receive A new middle school teacher in the Bronx learns that her fellow teachers are willing to guide and support her when she broke down in tears in the staff lounge after an overwhelming day.

As a first-year teacher, you are doing everything for the first time. All those new things can be incredibly overwhelming and overstimulating.

But what can you do when you don’t know what to do? Sometimes the answer will come to you not as a what or a how, but a who. Read: https://bit.ly/3K0Poki

NYC Childcare Navigator Scales, Boosting Maternal Employment The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) partnered with Mirza to launch a tool that helps paraprofessionals identify all available child care subsidies in five minutes.

We created a portal to help our paraprofessionals identify all available childcare subsidies and find real-time openings at local providers for their own children while they cared for other people’s children at school.

www.forbes.com/sites/christ...

Embattled federal workers unite Federal workers have faced a dizzying mix of reductions in force, firings of probationary workers, early retirements and deferred resignations since Trump became president for the second time. The Fed...

Federal workers have faced reductions in force, firings, early retirements and deferred resignations since Trump took office again. The Federal Unionists Network is organizing workers, fighting federal attacks & forming alliances within the labor movement. https://bit.ly/47SSXmw

THIS JUST IN: The DOE has released the Teacher’s Choice amounts for this school year. Funding for the program in this year’s city budget held steady, but because nearly 4,000 additional new teachers were hired to lower class sizes, the per-member allotments have changed slightly.

Lawsuit aims to force Trump administration to stop delaying student loan forgiveness The American Federation of Teachers is seeking a preliminary injunction that would force the department to resume student loan forgiveness.

In a new court filing, @aft.org is asking a federal judge to force the U.S. Department of Education to follow the law and cancel the debts of borrowers who have met longstanding requirements for loan forgiveness. Keep reading the article from @npr.org: n.pr/4gH7XX2

All about your pension benefits The start of the school year is is an excellent time to make sure you’re taking the right steps to prepare for retirement and secure your own future. Here are the most important things you need to kno...

The start of the school year is is an excellent time to make sure you’re taking the right steps to prepare for retirement and secure your own future. Here are the most important things you need to know about your pension benefits as a UFT member. Read: https://bit.ly/4mJnpTX

Homing in on learning The historical curiosity of 1st-graders at Manhattan's PS 4 is sparked when co-teachers Lizette Lantigua and Yomayra Gomez take them on a class trip to the 260-year-old Morris-Jumel Mansion, Manhattan...

The historical curiosity of 1st-graders at Manhattan's PS 4 is sparked when co-teachers Lizette Lantigua and Yomayra Gomez take them on a class trip to the 260-year-old Morris-Jumel Mansion, Manhattan's oldest surviving residence. Read: https://www.uft.org/news/feature-stories/homing-on-learning

NY lawmakers demand investigation into charter school rally, alleging coercion After a major charter school rally, two state senators are calling for an investigation into whether schools pressured families, staff, and students to attend.

“Canceling classes during a school day and forcing families and students to engage in a political rally is an egregious misuse of instructional time and state funds,” said State Sen. John Liu, the chair of the Senate Education Committee.

www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...

This #HispanicHeritageMonth, we honor Sonia Manzano — beloved as Maria on Sesame Street, award-winning author and lifelong advocate for children. Her work reminds us that every student deserves to feel seen, valued & inspired. NYC public school educators: Thank you for carrying that vision forward.

Transit programs If you travel to work by public transportation, you can save money by taking part in the City of New York Commuter Benefits Program, which enables you enables you to pay for allowable commuting costs ...

🚉 If you commute by public transportation, you can save money through the City of New York Commuter Benefits Program, which covers the city and tristate area. This benefit lets UFT members pay commuting costs with tax-free funds. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4pwkz7o

1 in 3 NYC public school students chronically absent last school year, new data show “What I haven’t seen is a citywide campaign on the importance of being in school,” one advocate said.

Missed school=missed learning. The rate of absenteeism in the 2004-25 school year, albeit slightly lower than the previous school year, compares to 1 in 4 children missing 10% of school days before the pandemic. We should all be concerned.

www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...

Thank you, @errollouis.bsky.social for a great discussion with @rweingarten.bsky.social about her new book, Why Fascists Fear Teachers. A powerful read about the heroism of educators as they defend children, families and democracy.

Proposed plan FAQs The NYC Employees PPO Plan (NYCE PPO) is a new premium-free health plan offered jointly by EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare. It would include health coverage for medical services (doctors and hospita...

The Municipal Labor Committee, NYC & EmblemHealth/UnitedHealthcare have reached a tentative agreement on a new health care plan for in-service and pre-Medicare NYC employees that would replace the GHI CBP plan. FAQ: https://bit.ly/4pvHOhS Plan comparison: https://bit.ly/41U0GNf

Workplace discrimination and harassment The UFT-DOE contracts contain protections against a wide range of discriminatory or harassing behaviors, including sexual harassment. Federal, state and city laws also provide protections. Here is wha...

No one should have to tolerate workplace harassment or discrimination, which is why the UFT-DOE contracts have contained protections for many years against a wide range of discriminatory or harassing behaviors, including sexual harassment. Read more: https://bit.ly/4mex1p9

#HispanicHeritageMonth runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 each year. Celebrate with your students by honoring the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans with ancestry from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America: https://bit.ly/3sTIBjL

New city health plan negotiated The Municipal Labor Committee and the city reached a tentative agreement with EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare on Aug. 28 on a new health care plan for in‑service city workers, pre-Medicare city reti...

The Municipal Labor Committee (MLC) and the city reached a tentative agreement with EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare on Aug. 28 on a new health care plan for in‑service city workers, pre-Medicare city retirees and their families. Read more: https://bit.ly/4pmkcvU