UnitedForChange - UFT

UFC Statement of Support for OTs/PTs, Nurses, and Audiologists: UFT Must Return Back to the Negotiating Table - We support this bargaining unit’s decision and reject attempts to undermine their decisive vote to reject their ⁦@UFT⁩ contract. unitedforchange.vote/ufc-statement-…

NYC paras deserve a LIVING WAGE, a FAIR CONTRACT and RESPECT. We are seeing hundreds of vacancies citywide and thousands of children are NOT being serviced or are being underserved because of shortages. For way too long the City of New York and @NYCSchools have ignored this issue. We need leadership within our union, the @UFT, to also be more responsive to this crisis. The choice is simple. Vote for the FIX PARA PAY slate in the UFT paraprofessional chapter election or vote for those who haven’t delivered a living wage for paras. No more of their empty promises or empty words! Paras deserve a living wage, a fair contract and respect & dignity. ✅ Vote FIX PARA PAY slate in the upcoming RTC election. They are organizing the fight for a living wage! 🗳️ Ballots will be mailed out on May 10th. Mark an ❌ in the FIX PARA PAY SLATE box only on page 1. 📪 You must mail back your ballot by June 13th. To learn more, go to: fixparapay.org #nyc #fixparapay #nycschools #nycschool #nycparas #nyceducation #nyceducators #nycdoe #uft #uftny #unionproud #unionstrong #parapower #d75 #payus #alivingwage

Vote for Retiree Advocate when your ballot comes in the mail in May. Your life might depend on it!

If you are a @UFT retiree or you know a UFT retiree, this next RETIRED TEACHERS CHAPTER (RTC) is a chance to take our union back from Mulgrew’s dangerous agenda with our healthcare. Vote for the RETIREE ADVOCATE SLATE for the RTC chapter. Voting takes place 5/10 to 6/13. Mail your ballot back ASAP. To learn more, go to: retireeadvocate.org Contact @RetireeAdvocUFT if you don’t receive a mail-in ballot by May 15th.

MEET THE FIX PARA PAY SLATE LET’S GOOOOOO! A community of union proud and union strong paras is excited to announce the candidates for the 2024 citywide UFT para chapter election. Mail-in ballots for the 2024 citywide UFT paraprofessional chapter elections will be mailed out on May 9th. When you receive your mail-in ballot, mark your vote for the FIX PARA SLATE with an ‘X’. Then, mail it back to the address provided, ASAP. Ballots must be received no later than Thursday, June 13 at 5 PM. If you are having issues getting a ballot, contact us immediately at info@fixparapay.org Let’s make history, together. We’ve mobilized a grassroots movement of rank and file paras who stand united around a living wage, a fair contract and respect & dignity for paras. The Fix Para Pay leadership team is ready to lead with you! ✅ John Perez, for Chapter Chairperson, ✅ Migda Rodriguez, for First Vice-Chair ✅ Deborah Harris, for Chapter Secretary ✅ Osvaldo “Ozzie” Acosta Jr., for Executive Board At-Large ✅ Cathy Barbosa, for Executive Board At-Large ✅ Teri D’Ambrosio, for Executive Board At-Large ✅ Agnes “Ines” Echevarria, for Executive Board At-Large ✅ Tatiana Rendon, for Executive Board At-Large ✅ Elizabeth Schmidt, for Executive Board At-Large ✅ Marie “Para” Wausnock, for Executive Board At-Large' Very soon, FPP will be sharing dates and times of a couple virtual halls and happy hour events so we can meet you and hear what you have to say! Learn more: fixparapay.org

🚨 How many @NYCSchools para vacancies are there in our schools? @DOEChancellor @necs Hundreds of students are not receiving their mandated services w/o full-time qualified paras! Now as the results of the FIX PARA PAY survey begin to come in… over 56% of active paras (500+ polled thus far) are saying that their *current pay is a MAJOR reason** why they are planning to likely leave the profession within 1-3 years! Unofficial results say close to 95% believe they are not earning a LIVING WAGE. Nearly 99% of UFT respondents believe @UFT must now commit to fight for a LIVING WAGE for paras. The shortages are untenable and unsustainable. We must make being a paraprofessional a viable, pedagogical CAREER path. THIS IS A CRISIS.

Sign the petition here: petition.fixparapay.org New York City public school paraprofessionals/para-educators play an essential and invaluable role in our school communities by providing accessible, quality educational and support services to all of our schoolchildren. And yet, New York City public schools are experiencing hundreds of para vacancies that may result in thousands of New York City school children not receiving federally mandated IEP services due to shortages of full-time, qualified paras. The reasons for this are many. But, quite simply it’s because we’ve seen our profession no longer be respected as a life-long career by the City of New York and the Department of Education. New City York public school paras are struggling to earn a living wage in our city and often have to work multiple jobs to survive. According to MIT’s living wage calculator, a single person with no children needs to make at least $33 an hour to live in New York City. Entry level paras are making less than $30k a year and no more than $18.50 an hour. Did you know that teachers make over $32k in longevity raises over their careers while paras barely make $5k in longevity raises over their entire careers? There are also various other inequities that exist in our current contractual pay structures and para job rights. This current path can’t continue. Being a paraprofessional must be a sustainable career, once again , and not only viewed as a “career ladder” to another profession. We need the DOE, the Mayor and our union leadership to not only recognize and protect the important role para-educators play in our schools and in our students' lives, but we call for fairer pay, better benefits, workplace safety, job security and increased access to job training that will give our jobs, and us, the respect paras deserve. We must support related legislation and fight for these things at the collective bargaining table. To this end, we call on our union family to support the original Resolution to Meaningfully Support New York City Paraprofessionals’ Fight for a Living Wage and Fair Contract … not the reso that @UFTUnity gutted tonight at the exec board meeting.

This update from @PSC_CUNY⁩ members is leaking the details abt the bids from ⁦@Aetna⁩ & ⁦@UHC⁩-⁦@EmblemHealth⁩ for what would be the new healthcare plan for city workers Both concerns are very much on the table & we should be alarmed psc-cuny.org/clarion/2023/d…

Teachers unions across the country are organizing alongside community members, striking, and advancing an agenda that benefits teachers, students, and the entire working class. Not so in my union, New York City’s United Federation of Teachers. jacobin.com/2023/08/united…

Judge ‘Permanently’ Bans Medicare Advantage Switch for City Retirees @THECITYNY @clauirizarry thecity.nyc/health/2023/8/…

Retirees win! "Respondents are permanently enjoined from requiring any City retirees, and their dependents from being removed from their current health insurance plan(s), and from being required to either enroll in an Aetna Medicare Advantage Plan..." newaction.org/2023/08/11/mul…

UFT Members to Revote on Contract They Rejected After ‘Undemocratic’ Mulgrew Split a Chapter - @clauirizarry The City thecity.nyc/2023/8/8/23825…

UFT is directing a chapter of school therapists that rejected a tentative contract agreement w/ the city to take a revote — a move seen by some members as anti-democratic and that led the chapter leader to resign nydailynews.com/new-york/educa…

This is a disgrace. UFT leadership rejects democracy, supports convenience and Mayor Adams instead of membership. 🧵🧵🧵

When UFT leadership hears no from a group, they break it up, count some as presumed yeses, and make the rest revote until they get yes for an answer. newaction.org/2023/08/04/mul…

As a parent with SWD, our related services providers are essential. The staffing shortages we have already experienced will be made worse if the @UFT railroads them into another inequity contract that will not address the COLA increase needed to allow OTs/PTs to keep their jobs

Devaluing related service staff devalues our disabled students. @UFT will send a clear message to children and families if they don’t pass an equitable contract, “you don’t care about students with disabilities.”

Former Illinois teachers union president, Fred Klonsky, opines: “That a union needs constitutional language that says “no means no” may seem crazy. But it’s not crazy when you have union leaders like Michael Mulgrew.” Read his latest: fredklonsky.substack.com/p/no-means-no-…

UFT leadership should be helping OT/PTs organize to get a better deal. Instead, they are doing everything they can to undermine this possibility - and for selfish political gain. newaction.org/2023/07/28/the…

It's the job of @UFT leadership to improve working conditions. Instead, they fight for inferior health care for retirees, and inferior pay for OT/PT members. thecity.nyc/2023/7/28/2381…

“Mulgrew also urged members to give up on trying to get a better deal.” Get back to the table and renegotiate a better and fair contract, now @UFT! thecity.nyc/2023/7/28/2381…