United Federation of Teachers

The Teacher's Candidate: The UFT Endorses Bill Thompson for Mayor

Made up of over 70,000 members, the United Federation of Teachers has demanded a voice in this upcoming mayoral election. President Michael Mulgrew told the Observer two weeks ago that he expected his union to sway the election; the reason why each Democratic candidate has gone above and beyond to c ... More >>

The Next Educator-in-Chief: What Will the New Mayor Do With a $25 Billion Budget?

The numbers for the Education budget are in and, once again, they're groundbreaking: In fiscal year 2014, City Hall will spend $25 billion--the most in New York City history--on a line item that takes up about a third of the overall city budget. But, with an election coming up, determining Bloomberg ... More >>

The UFT & PBA's Demand for Payback From New Mayor Faces Budget Realities

October 31st, 2009. For the teachers of New York City, this date marks the last day 94,000 of them had a contract with the Bloomberg administration. Since then, the wages for our city's educators have remained at a standstill, suspended by political tensions over layoffs, attrition and mayoral contr ... More >>

Gov. Cuomo Has Decided: The State Will Take Over Teacher Evaluations

Looks like State Education Commissioner John King wasn't kidding. Yesterday, the Associated Press was informed by an anonymous Cuomo administration official that, in his 30-day budget amendments coming up this week, the governor will position Albany to be the central arbiter of a still-not-disclose ... More >>

A Few Teachers Beg Albany to Help Evaluate Them in New Ad Campaign

It's not every day that employees ask their higher-ups to evaluate them more rigorously, but that's what a few city public school teachers asked for in an ad campaign launched by Educators 4 Excellence yesterday.

The Million(s)-Dollar Deadline For Teacher Evaluations Is Here, And There's No Deal

January 17th is the last day New York City education officials have to solve this teacher evaluations dilemma that's blocking millions of dollars in grants. And that day is upon us.Yesterday, the Mayor's Department of Education met with the United Federation of Teachers to create a last-minute solu ... More >>

State, Not UFT, Screwed Kids Out $250 Million With Teacher Eval Demands

For a sample of the over-wrought backlash that the United Federation of Teachers will face after failing to come to an agreement with the city on a new teacher evaluation system this afternoon, go check out today's opinion section in the NY Daily News. In an impressive show of mutual-strokage, the ... More >>

The Mayor's D.O.E. And UFT Will Resume Talks Today, Just Hours Before $300M Deadline

For whatever the reason, 'coming down to the wire' doesn't cut it here. Maybe it's the $300 million that's at stake. Who knows.As we reported last week, a deadline has been set for tomorrow on statewide teacher evaluation deals. If achieved, the State will qualify for millions in Race to the Top gra ... More >>

If NYC Public Schools Lose $300 Million In A Week, You Can Thank Politics

Forget about the fiscal cliff in Washington; the kids of New York City are about to jump off one, too. In less than ten days, New York City's public school system stands to gain or lose nearly $300 million of the $700 million allotted to New York State under President Obama's "Race to the Top" prog ... More >>

Educator of the Year—and Beyond

Mayor Bloomberg Wants More Control Over Sexual Misconduct Cases in Schools

Mike Bloomberg announced a new piece of legislation this afternoon that would give the mayor, via the city's school chancellor, more power to dismiss teachers who engage in acts of sexual misconduct in the classroom. You'd think that inappropriate sexual behavior form teachers is something everyon ... More >>

Teachers' Union Prez Mike Mulgrew Hit With Woodshop Sex and Blackmail Accusations

Nothing like a quick sex scandal to spice up a beautiful Sunday afternoon. In a 73-page lawsuit filed by a Manhattan teacher, the President of the United Federation of Teachers prez Michael Mulgrew, known for his heated relationship with Bloomberg's Education Department, has been accused of having ... More >>

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio Slams Bloomberg for Failure to Finalize Teacher Eval Plans

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio took the mayor and his administration to task on Sunday afternoon for failing to come to an agreement with the United Federation of Teachers over a proposed teachers evaluation program. In a press conference outside of the city's Department of Education, de Blasio said ... More >>

Mayor Mike Bloomberg on UFT Ad Attacking Him: 'I Didn't See It'

​Mayor Mike Bloomberg, on his weekly radio show this morning, said he doesn't watch a lot of television. Well, actually, Mr. Mayor, that is pretty contradictory to some statements you made yesterday next to cast members from Gossip Girl. Get your facts straight, dude! The mayor -- so versed ... More >>

New Teachers Union Ad Attacking Mayor Starts Today

Watch out, Mr. Mayor! The United Federation of Teachers is launching an ad campaign today that attacks Mike Bloomberg -- who has loudly criticized the union at a handful of public appearances this year. At his State of the City speech earlier this month, the mayor went after the UFT for insisting on ... More >>

Mike Bloomberg: I'm Not Living in a Fantasy World, Students Are the Priority

After the mayor's State of the City speech yesterday, everyone's been talking about Bloomberg's words on education and teacher evaluation (less so, his mentions of Lady Gaga or Words With Friends). We caught up with a few predictably critical pols yesterday afternoon in the Bronx who all voluntari ... More >>

Mike Bloomberg's State of the City: Education, Jobs, Innovation, Lady Gaga, Innovation

​Not a lot of surprises at the mayor's State of the City speech today at Morris High School in the Bronx. In an auditorium inside the school, Mike Bloomberg spoke for about an hour on how to improve public education and the economy and how to make this great city the capital of innovation. Tha ... More >>

Bill de Blasio, John Liu, and Scott Stringer: Mr. Mayor, Why Did You Talk About Teachers That Way?

After Mayor Mike Bloomberg finished his State of the City speech in the Bronx, Runnin' Scared tripped over many reporters and shoved a recorder in the face of a few relevant pols to get their reactions. We reached Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Comptroller John Liu, and Manhattan Borough President ... More >>

Bloomberg and Walcott Are School Dropouts

Standardized tests 'tried-and-untrue' method of measuring students' learning

Look for the Occupy Label

The uneasy marriage between labor and Occupy Wall Street

Michael Mulgrew Gloats on NY1 After Dubious Teachers Union "Victory" in Election

​The Michael Mulgrew victory tour took an embarrassing turn on NY1 last night, when the United Federation of Teachers president gloated throughout an extended interview, overstating a very mixed primary day report card.

They All Look Alike: Daily News, Minority Politicians Division

​ "Throw the Bums Out!" is the lead battle cry of the front page of the Daily News' Web site this morning, and it has pix of those rascals we should all be voting against today -- a quartet of black and Hispanic politicians: state senators Pedro Espada, Kevin Parker, Assemblyman Adriano Espail ... More >>

Black Parents vs. the Teachers' Union

Union intransigence hits a low point

Teachers' Union Rolls Out Hoary Excuse To Oppose More Charter Schools

​If you're looking for a laugh, go on the website of the United Federation of Teachers, the union that is leading the fight against charter schools, whose reading and math scores are 15 to 20 points better than traditional schools. The union just went on the air with an ad blasting "for-profi ... More >>

Barrett: Bill DeBlasio, Public Advocate or Teachers Union Patsy?

​Bill deBlasio may have set a record with his first-day-on-the-job thumping by the New York Post last week. Under the headline "ACORN's City Hall branch," a Post editorial, posted at 1:40 on the morning of deBlasio's second day as public advocate, blasted his announcement that he was forming a ... More >>

Barrett: Just How Strange and Pathetic was Bloomberg's Victory?

​The key question coming out of this election is whether Mike Bloomberg got the message. Can he listen to voters he'll never face again? If Bloomberg L.P took a hit like he did Tuesday, wouldn't the company take stock and make real changes? Bloomberg spent $80 million in 2005 and won by 19 p ... More >>

The City's Bid to Save Cash Leaves New Teachers Out in the Cold

Bad Teachers in Limbo: New Yorker Weighs in on 'Rubber Rooms'

​This week's New Yorker has an excellent piece on the city's pathetic "rubber rooms" -- where incompetent teachers rot (with pay) as the city tries, in vain, to fire them, a nearly impossible task under the current teachers' union contract. Writer Steven Brill (yes, that Steven Brill) points out t ... More >>

Weingarten Steps Down as City Teachers Union Head; Mulgrew Expected to Take Over

Randi Weingarten is stepping down as head of the New York chapter of the United Federation of Teachers. Of course, she's also been head of the national UFT for about a year, so it's not like she didn't have her hands full. We don't know much about the man expected to replace her, UFT Vice Presiden ... More >>

Bloomberg and the Teachers' Union

It's (almost) summertime, and the Mayor's campaigning is easy. So easy, he can roll over the union this time—and should.

Thousands Throng Union Demo at City Hall

OK, teabaggers, here's how you do a protest at City Hall: a massive crowd of union members and sympathizers flooded the area around the seat of government this afternoon to voice their displeasure with proposed budget cuts that would affect their memberships. The demo was so crowded that we coul ... More >>

Losing Track of Dropouts—and Successes—in New York City Schools

DOE, City Council and Unions all fail to keep tabs on when NYC schools fail - or succede.

Randi Weingarten and the National American Federation of Teachers: No Child Left Unhealed

To work, a public school must be active in students' lives before and after class

UFT President Randi Weingarten Comes Out

Class Dismissed

Lousy teachers or just political victims: there's got to be a better way to settle teacher disputes than New York's rubber rooms

In Praise of Personal Journalism

Throwing off the shackles of the conventional press

Visiting the Eva Empire

The Underside of Bloomberg's School Reform

How the Mayor's Top-Down Revolution Locks Out Communities

Weingarten's War

The Teacher Boss Puts Bloomberg on the 'Bad Step'

A Letter to Chancellor Joel Klein

What Is 'A Sound Basic Education'?

Déjà Vu All Over Again

Echoes From the '60s Haunt Bloomberg's School Reform

Hip-Hop Hollas at City Hall

But Were They Really Saying Something?

A Defining Bloomberg

Our Nice-Guy Mayor Makes Some Bad Budget Choices

Loophole 101

How Charter Schools Weaken the Teachers’ Union

Rudy’s Lesson Plan

Dirty Looks From City Hall as Teachers Seek a Raise

Questions for Hillary

She Says She’s Not a Liberal

From Public to Private

Big Changes Planned for City’s Low-Performing Schools

The Five Percent Solution

Fraction of Voters to Decide on Rudy's Referendum

Which Side Are They On?