Horns blared from passing traffic in the Hugh J. Grant Circle roundabout in Parkchester last Wednesday afternoon. Chants could be heard from a rally across the street.
“What do we want?”
“A contract!”
“When do we want it?”
“Now!”
The May 24 rally was put on by members of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) union, a coalition of New York City Department of Education (DOE) employees who are calling on Mayor Eric Adams to meet their contract negotiation standards. According to the union, their last DOE-UFT contract expired on Sept. 13, 2022.
Mary Atkinson, the UFT Bronx borough representative, said during the rally at Virginia Park that a lot of the issues the team is negotiating comes down to respect. Her post at the UFT Bronx office now is a full-time job, but she said she was previously a teacher in Washington Heights for about 25 years.
“We are looking for the DOE to respect educators, give us autonomy in the work that we need to do,” she said. “Respect teachers and other professionals’ time … they don’t need to micromanage every single minute of our day.”
The UFT started its negotiations with the city back in October 2022 — after the current contract had already expired. According to the union, the terms of the old contract remain in effect until a new agreement is made with the DOE and passed by UFT members.
Atkinson said the UFT has rallied for contract amendments in the past, although it doesn’t happen every negotiation cycle. Earlier this spring, the UFT hosted a citywide contract grade-in, where teachers brought their grading, paperwork and planning work to public spaces to demonstrate how much they do off the clock.
DOE employees at the rally pointed out an array of changes they’re seeking in a new contract — from pay bumps and smaller class sizes, to an increase in school librarians and a decrease in assessment-based merit standards.
Jocelyn Brown, a sixth grade math teacher at Mott Hall III…
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