Hundreds of UFT members took to the streets for the city’s annual Labor Day parade on Sept. 12. Braving the elements they marched up Fifth avenue wearing T-shirts commemorating the union’s upcoming 50th anniversary.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew appeared on Fox’s “Good Day NY” this morning, Sept. 8. He spoke to Rosanna Scotto about swine flu precautions and President Obama’s back-to-school speech to students:

We think the speech is fantastic. Anytime you can have the president engage students and talk about being responsible towards their education, it’s a great thing. And as a parent, and as a teacher, the idea that the president says there’s no excuse not to do your homework, that’s something we’ll always get behind 100 percent.

Michael Mulgrew was elected President of the UFT in July 2009, effective August 1. Prior to his current position, Michael was elected Vice President for Career and Technical Education (CTE) High Schools in 2005 and became the union’s Chief Operating Officer in 2008.

A Staten Island native, Michael began his teaching career as a substitute at South Richmond High School IS/PS 25 instructing students with special needs. He also volunteered weekends at CUNY teaching kids computer skills. From the beginning, Michael wanted to work with at-risk kids, and at a very young age he embraced his mother’s most important piece of advice: Wherever you are, whatever you do, always help others. He has worked hard to pass that value on to his daughter and his nieces and nephews, and it has also helped shape his career. More »

Carmen Alvarez, UFT vice president for special education, displays a campaign poster.

The UFT’s five-borough “There is No Excuse” special-education campaign was in the Willowbrook section of Staten Island on May 12 to meet parents dissatisfied with how the IEPs of their special-needs children are being met by the DOE, and to offer some common solutions. NY1 News covered the event.

Click here or on the image above to watch the video.

Read the press release here.

AFT/UFT President Randi Weingarten will appear on “Brian Lehrer Live” on CUNY TV (Channel 75 on Time Warner Cable), on Wednesday, March 25 from 7:30-8:30 p.m. She’ll be discussing the federal stimulus as well as state budget issues and will appear on the first segment of the show.

Be sure to tune in!

If you miss the show or do not have Time Warner Cable, go to the show’s archive sometime after the scheduled broadcast to view the episode online. We’ll also post a link to it here on Edwize.

NY State Senate Majority Leader Malcolm A. Smith addresses a delegation of UFTers and their guests in Albany.

March 17 was UFT Albany Lobby Day. It was a day for UFTers to have their say about the state of education inside the chambers of legislative officials. The message was clear: “Invest in education because kids don’t get a second chance.” It was also an opportunity for legislators to articulate their positions on the current financial crisis, the recession, and the budget deficit. More »

On March 13 scores of parents, students, educators and concerned community residents demonstrated in front of Roosevelt High School campus building housing the Fordham High School for the Arts to protest five years of alleged harassment, unprofessional conduct, verbal abuse and other mistreatment of teachers and other staffers by Principal Iris Blige that resulted in the departure of nine assistant principals and dozens of educators since she became principal.

On March 5 a huge coalition of concerned citizens participated in an impressive rally at City Hall. The urgency to protest the impeding cuts to vital human services by the city administration was enough to cause New Yorkers to take to the city pavement en masse. The people of the City of New York were raising their voices, placards, and leaflets in an effort to get the word out to the Mayor: additional cuts will be devastating to students, workers, and their families. More »

Click here for more rally photos.

Today, March 5, 4 p.m. at City Hall.

Fight for a fair budget for all.

FairShareReform.org | flyer

Listen to the UFT’s new radio ad.

The text is as follows:

Now that the president has signed the new federal stimulus bill, let’s take a moment to thank the New York congressional delegation, the mayor and the thousands of educators who lobbied for its passage. But let’s take only a moment. Because for those of us who are pushing for high quality public schools in New York City, there’s a lot of hard work still to be done. Now we must keep a watchful eye on how the stimulus funds are used. This once in a lifetime opportunity cannot be wasted on bureaucracy. The additional funds must go straight to the classroom to help our teachers provide their students with the quality education they deserve. We must also fight in Albany and at City Hall against any erosion of our children’s educational opportunities.

Join us on Thursday, March 5, at 4 p.m. for a rally at City Hall, and make your voice heard in support of our schools and our children. Go to www.uft.org for more information.

It is our sad duty to communicate the sudden and untimely passing of a brother in the UFT family, Armando Blasse, District Representative for CSD 13  and Political Action Coordinator for Brooklyn.

In honor of his life and in sorrow for the way he was taken from us so young, we affirm our love for him with a “cold and broken Hallelujah.”

On Tuesday, Feb. 10, AFT members around the country wore blue to school to send a clear message: That strong education, healthcare and public services are critical elements for our country’s economic recovery; and that budget cuts to education, healthcare and public services will hurt, not help, our economy.

For more photos of UFT members wearing blue, go to the UFT online photo gallery.

And check out the AFT’s Unity Day slideshow.

On Feb. 10, AFT members around the country will be wearing blue to work to support the federal stimulus legislation currently being considered in Congress. The effort is part of the AFT’s “Fight for America’s Future: It’s Dollars and Sense” campaign. Essential services are facing draconian cuts due to the economic crisis, and the Feb. 10 show of solidarity is a way to send a clear message: Strengthening education, health care and public services is crucial in order to restore and preserve opportunity in this country. [View the flyer here.]

E-mail photos of members in your school wearing blue to the UFT [instructions here]. We’ll post a link to the online photo gallery.