Frequently Asked Questions

Having trouble verifying your identity?

Posted Sep 17, 2015 | Category: Website and Email Help | Rating:

Make sure you have already enrolled with the UFT. You can enroll in the union as an active member on the UFT website.
If you are newly hired, have you have received a paycheck from your employer? If not, we are unable to identify you by the information you have entered. Please try verifying your identity once you have received a paycheck from your employer.
Please use the first and last name that is shown on your paycheck. Some...

Having trouble signing up on uft.org?

Posted Sep 17, 2015 | Category: Website and Email Help | Rating:

Make sure you are using an acceptable email address. You may not use certain government and/or school domains. Examples of email addresses that are not allowed: nyc.gov, schools.edu, boe.net.
Make sure your passwords match.

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Does my school have a safety plan?

Posted Jul 6, 2015 | Category: School Safety | Rating:

Every school must have a school safety plan and a crisis response plan that is updated annually and logged with the education, police and fire departments.

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What is a SAVE room?

Posted Jul 6, 2015 | Category: School Safety | Rating:

A SAVE room (named after the acronym for the state school safety law - Safe Schools Against Violence in Education) is an area or room that houses students who have been removed from their classrooms or suspended from school, or, in the case of elementary schools, suspended from "buddy schools." The room must be staffed and instruction provided by a licensed pedagogue.

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Who is covered under Injury in the Line of Duty?

Posted Jul 6, 2015 | Category: Line of Duty Injuries | Rating:

All teachers, guidance counselors, secretaries, social workers, school psychologists, career and technical teachers (CTEs), and lab specialists are covered by ILOD. Paras are covered for up to one year in cases of assault; otherwise they should apply for Workers’ Compensation. In certain circumstances, lab specialist and CTEs can also choose Workers’ Compensation, unless appointed to TRS.

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Am I allowed to have a student removed from the classroom?

Posted Jul 6, 2015 | Category: School Safety | Rating:

Absolutely! If a student is a danger to himself or others you should have the student removed immediately. (If you don’t know how to call for assistance, find out now. There should be a written protocol.) If the student is not violent but is disruptive to the class’ learning, you may file a Disruptive Student Removal Form under Chancellor’s Regulation A-443. That removal is not immediate...

Posted Jul 6, 2015 | Category: School Safety | Rating:

In either case, you should notify your immediate supervisor as soon as possible. If there was danger to you and/or other staff and students, also alert your UFT chapter leader and make sure to file a UFT incident report onlineso you can get needed support and assistance. Administrators must also report the violation or...

Posted Sep 12, 2014 | Category: | Rating:

All single-session schools, except those that have adopted a school-based option to change their schedules, will have the following schedule:

Monday: There is an 80-minute block of time immediately following the school day that will be used for Professional Development. If less than the entire 80 minutes is used for Professional Development on a given day, the remaining time will be used for Other Professional Work. This period of time ends exactly 80 minutes after...

Posted Sep 12, 2014 | Category: | Rating:

It applies only to all classroom teachers (including speech teachers, Hearing Education Services teachers, substitute teachers and F status teachers) and paraprofessionals (including substitute paraprofessionals) in single-session schools unless a school has adopted a school-based option on the reconfiguration of time.

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I am on an approved leave, after which I plan to return to my position. Will I receive my retroactive pay as a result of the 2014 contract?

Posted May 21, 2014 | Category: Salary | Rating:

UFT members who take an approved unpaid leave will get all of the rate increases that other employees will receive upon their return. In addition, they will receive all of their retroactive pay so long as they return from leave by Oct. 1, 2023. Employees who miss a scheduled lump-sum payment will be paid on Oct. 1 of each year until all payments are made.

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Are District 75 teachers going to get any help from the paperwork reduction provision for the hours each day they have to spend on students’ IEPs?

Posted May 20, 2014 | Category: | Rating:

Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) are mandated. However, the paperwork reduction provisions in the proposed contract should help to reduce other paperwork, especially redundant or repetitive paperwork, for District 75 teachers and other special education teachers so that these teachers would have more time to work on students’ IEPs.

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What is meant by a “standard unit plan format”?

Posted May 20, 2014 | Category: | Rating:

This is a standard one-page form that is part of the proposed new contract. For teachers developing unit plans, this one-page form distills the work to only one page even for teachers who teach more than one subject or class. By agreeing to this, the UFT achieved the maximum possible reduction in paperwork and time spent on this task. Even with this form, if a principal has not yet asked a teacher to do unit plans, it is unlikely the principal will ask the teacher to do it now. Here is the...