Early UFT Pact Gains Approval By 9-1 Ratio

By RICHARD STEIER

United Federation of Teachers members overwhelmingly approved their new two-year, 19-day wage contract, with a Dec. 14 tally showing 90 percent voted in favor of ratification.

The main features of the pact are raises totaling 7.1 percent with compounding, a $750 cash payment, and a $1,000 longevity differential for those with five years on the job.

Timeliness a Bonus

One extra factor that undoubtedly inclined union members in its favor is that the deal was reached well in advance of the Oct. 12, 2007 expiration date of their previous contract, assuring them of receiving the first raise on time. Over the past decade, settlements were typically reached months, and sometimes years, after a previous pact ran out, and United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten had vowed to reach a timely deal.

She issued a statement following the ratification - with more than three-quarters of the union's 100,000-plus members returning ballots - that acknowledged the raises also allowed some members to reach a symbolic milestone, since on May 19, 2008, maximum salary will go to $100,049. For those lower down the pay scale, she said, the early deal "provides real stability and certainty for educators and the students they serve and a much-needed raise for all our members."

Bolsters Some Pensions

The first dividend from the new contract will come with the $750 cash payment that takes effect Jan. 1, even while the old UFT pact remains in effect. That money will not be rolled into base salary, but it can be used by those retiring within the next three years to bolster their pension allowances.

Next Oct. 13, on the first day of the contract, members will receive a 2-percent raise, as well as a $100 increase in the city's welfare fund contribution.

On May 1, 2008, the Bloomberg administration will make a one-time per-member payment of $166.67 to the UFT welfare fund.

The May 19, 2008 pay hike will be 5 percent. On that same date, the $1,000 longevity payment for those with five years' service takes effect, a benefit the union opted for in lieu of the "equity money" that District Council 37 received - at matching cost to the city - to adjust salaries in key titles.

Aimed At Retention

Ms. Weingarten has noted that the turnover rate among Teachers is greatest during their first five years on the job, and said last week prior to the ratification vote that retention had replaced recruitment as the greatest concern. Starting salary, which has increased by more than 46 percent since 2002, will go from the current $42,512 to $45,530 by May 2008.

The final benefit under the deal that affects all members is the city's commitment to a $35-per-member increase in welfare fund contributions effective Oct. 21, 2009, that among other things will cap active members' co-pays for prescription drugs at $1,000 per family.

Other gains under the pact include an increase in the uniform allowance for Supervisors of School Safety, 12 additional paid days for those coaching and supervising athletic teams and other school extra-curricular activities, and a supplementary peer intervention program in which independent instructors from outside the system will work with struggling Teachers.