UFT Solidarity Council Members attended the Chapter Leaders meeting this afternoon.  The meeting was led by Jason Goldberg, Bill Kalogeras and James Duncan.  It was a long meeting so I’m just hitting on some points I thought were significant.  High schools are expected to open in four to eight weeks. … Read More

The CDC has announced that teachers do not need vaccines to return to their classrooms. They only need “resources” to stay safe. Why doubt the CDC? Why question this government institution? Everyone should doubt an institution that reverses its position and puts safety last. The CDC has said that masks… Read More

The framers of Education Law 906(1) never conceived of students being asymptomatic carriers of a virus like COVID-19 and could infect the families of countless students. To not test a significant portion of the student population that is known to asymptotic carriers by numerous scientific studies, and endangers lives to… Read More

Hello People! Our Friday and Saturday sessions were well-attended and we had a lively and insightful discussions of various aspects of how our union came into being. We were able to thoroughly cover the preface and first two chapters of The Teacher Rebellion. I would like to forge ahead with the… Read More

Dear friends and family,Please push Cuomo to waive teacher evaluation this year. DiBlasio and Carranza screwed the School Year up by not focusing on schools until mid-July. Online instruction is very different than teaching in a building and to evaluate teachers on student engagement under these COVID-19 times is just… Read More

After presenting the resolution, of course Unity played dirty and Mary Vacarro spoke against by intentionally mischaracterizing the resolution and then it was voted against 40%-60%. She said that it was unreasonable to expect remote teachers to not receive evaluations this year. I was given no opportunity to clarify what… Read More

Mayor Lightfoot promises slower phase-in with on PreK and Special Ed clusters coming in on Tuesday, K-5 on February 22, and 6-8 on March 1.  She threatened to lock out teachers who don’t return to their buildings on Monday.  Dozens of teachers who were in the first phase which was… Read More

February Town Hall with Michael Mulgrew 1)Introduced Senator Chuck Schumer: Thank teachers for everything we have done. He believes in public education. His family has grown up in public schools. We stayed open the whole year during this Pandemic. More urgent tasks of getting all teachers and school workers vaccinated…. Read More

Have we told you lately how much we appreciate you?  Well, we have a small ask to ask of you. We need to update our membership rolls! After 6 years it’s time to do a little housekeeping and make sure all our member information is current and up to date. (Also,… Read More

Robert’s Rule of Order is the most widely used manual of parliamentary procedure in the United States. Generally, Robert’s Rules of Order is a guide for conducting meetings and making decisions as a group. The purpose of the book is “to enable assemblies of any size, with due regard for every member’s opinion, to… Read More

This article was written by Crystal Lewis of The Chief. She interviewed Council Members Odalis Santana and Quinn Zannoni. IS ANYBODY LISTENING?: Members of the United Federation of Teachers Movement of Rank and File Educators and UFT Solidarity caucuses fear Governor Cuomo’s decision that city public schools can remain open… Read More

Please confirm your attendance by pre-Registering here! This meeting will be held at 5pm on 1/20/2021 over Zoom. Topics include: Chapter leader elections, Delegate Assembly updates, Vaccinations for 1B (which includes all UFT members), great initiatives to help move our caucus and union forward! The Facebook event can be found… Read More

Notes on 12/30/20 zoom conference regarding ending mayoral control, strengthening parent, student, and community empowerment, and reestablishing elected community school boards.  Lots of interesting issues were brought up. The zoom was led by Kim Watkins a public school parent who is running for Manhattan Borough President. The zoom conference was… Read More

UFT Solidarity believes in giving members the tools they need to maintain their dignity and agency. We are disgusted that UFT President Mulgrew has not made a stronger statement ordering the immediate closure of the schools. Our colleague James Eterno advises UFT members to do this: All it will take… Read More

Resolution Rejecting Remote Teaching Amendments to APPR By Quinn Zannoni and John Lawhead, UFT Solidarity Council WHEREAS, principals across the NYC DOE have been sharing amongst themselves a newly released Danielson Group framework for Remote Teaching; and WHEREAS, The Danielson Framework for Remote Teaching is not on NYSED’s list of… Read More

The mayor today announced a phased-in reopening plan that will enable elementary school and District 75 students to receive in-person instruction as early as Dec. 7 in parts of the city where transmission rates remain low. At our insistence, the city is implementing much stricter testing measures in all school… Read More

If you’re a teacher (or para) who holds a professional teaching certificate, the UFT wants to ensure you’re meeting the New York State requirements for keeping your certificate active. Teachers who hold professional teaching certificates are required to complete 100 Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) credits in five-year cycles…. Read More

Are you concerned about paying your student loans? The Student Debt Relief Program, an exclusive member benefit brought to you by the UFT, is here to help. If you are a full-time Department of Education employee, you may be eligible for the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Certain teacher… Read More

Are you interested in learning more about the benefits you’ll receive as a UFT retiree? The UFT Pension Department invites you to attend a remote retirement workshop on Dec. 8. UFT Pension Representative Victoria Lee will discuss annual benefits summary booklets, your death benefit and how to get reimbursed for… Read More

Hey! Did you order your UFT Solidarity T shirt or mask? Uft Solidarity does not collect dues and this is our annual fundraising effort to ensure we have our website, member support programs, and election grassroots work paid for. If you don’t want one but still want to donate a… Read More

Dear Mayor de Blasio, Chancellor Richard Carranza, Executive Superintendent Tim Lisante, Superintendent Paul Rotondo: We represent a group of transfer school educators and educators who have worked with at-risk populations across New York City. We demand that the City of New York, the NYC Department of Education’s Office of Post-Secondary… Read More

Hello,Countless UFT members have been ineligible for retro pay if they have taken family leave, paid parental leave, and/or have/adopted babies and must take maternity/paternity leave. We have spoken to a number of UFT members who were denied retro pay and SESIS payments. We are considering filing a class action… Read More