One of the most valuable ways you can have a voice as a teacher is by voting in union elections. Our teachers’ unions were designed to be deeply democratic institutions, to ensure full representation of their diverse membership.
In New York, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) holds elections for its officers every three years and voting typically takes place by mail in May. Before voting, UFT members should familiarize themselves with the caucuses running in the election. A caucus is comparable to a political party within the union; they run candidates for office within the UFT. A set of candidates from a caucus is referred to as a slate. Since many officials typically run for election, you have the option to vote for an entire slate at once.
E4E-New York encourages UFT members to learn more about the candidates and their platforms and make their vote and voices heard. We also hope UFT members will feel inspired to become more engaged in their union by attending meetings, speaking with elected leaders, and/or running in future elections.