United Federation of Teachers
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| Full name | United Federation of Teachers |
|---|---|
| Founded | March 16, 1960 |
| Members | 183,589 (2013) |
| Affiliation | American Federation of Teachers |
| Key people | Michael Mulgrew, president |
| Office location | 52 Broadway, New York, NY |
| Country | United States |
| Website | www |
The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) is the labor union that represents most teachers in New York City public schools. As of 2005[update], there were about 118,000 in-service teachers and 17,000 paraprofessional educators in the union, as well as about 54,000 retired members. In October 2007, 28,280 home day care providers voted to join the union. It is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the AFL-CIO and the Central Labor Council. It is also the largest member of New York State United Teachers, which is affiliated with the National Educational Association and Education International.
Two previous unions of New York schoolteachers, the Teachers Union, founded in 1916, and the Teachers Guild, founded in 1935, failed to gather widespread enrollment or support. Many of the early leaders were pacifists or socialists and so frequently met with clashes against more right-leaning newspapers and organizations of the time, as red-baiting was fairly common. The ethnically and ideologically diverse teachers associations of the city made the creation of a single organized body difficult, with each association continuing to vie for its own priorities irrespective of the others.
The UFT was founded in 1960, largely in response to perceived unfairness in the educational system's treatment of teachers. Pensions were awarded to retired teachers only if over 65 or with 35 years of service. Female teachers faced two years of mandatory unpaid maternity leave after they gave birth. Principals could discipline or fire teachers with almost no oversight. The schools, experiencing a massive influx of baby boomer students, often were on double or triple session. Despite being college-educated professionals, often holding advanced master's degrees, teachers drew a salary of $66 per week, in 2005 dollars, the equivalent of $21,000 a year.
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