We are advocating that the UFT emphasize an important point in the ongoing contract negotiation with the City. In order to help professionalize the teaching industry, attract more qualified educators into the industry, build morale among current teachers, and help prevent teacher burnout, the following feels important in the upcoming contract:

Include 3 vacation days per year (that roll over year-to-year) in lieu of CAR days (i.e. each year teachers receive 7 CAR days (sick days) and 3 VACATION days instead of the current 10 CAR days).

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NYC Public School teachers are among the only professionals in a job that requires a Masters level of education who receive zero discretionary vacation days. Currently, teachers receive no discretionary vacation days and 10 sick days per year. Our current contract expired in September 2022 and negotiations for a new contract are ongoing. We propose that in the upcoming contract, teachers receive 7 sick days (CAR days) and 3 discretionary vacation days per year (that roll over from year-to-year), instead of the current 10 sick days and 0 vacation days.

This change feels especially important at this moment in time, shortly after our membership worked overtime throughout the pandemic and ours was the first major school district in the country to return to in-person instruction. The recent arbitration outcome awarding vacation days in lieu of overtime compensation during the pandemic also set a precedent for days of this type to be included as part of our future compensation package.

Replacing 3 CAR days (sick days) with vacation days would give teachers the flexibility to take a week off once every 2 years, helping to professionalize the teaching industry, and bringing the flexibility of the job more in line with other jobs requiring a comparable level of education. Teaching is one of the few jobs requiring a masters degree, if not the only, in which an employee can never throughout the entire course of her career take even a week off at a time of her choosing.

This improvement is low-hanging fruit. It will benefit students and faculty alike, while adding very little cost to the City.

1 CAR day (sick day) is valued at 1/400 of a teacher’s annual salary (2 for 1), and a vacation day at 1/200 (1 for 1). Replacing 3 CAR days (sick days) with VACATION days represents an increase of 3/400, or 0.75%, of a teacher’s annual salary, a negligible amount, especially given the recent spike in inflation.

Below are just some of the benefits from this change:

-Helps boost teacher morale, leading to better quality classroom instruction
-Helps prevent teacher burnout, leading to more experienced teachers staying the classroom longer
-Helps attract better qualified teachers into the industry, improving instruction
-Gives teachers an opportunity to travel during off-season, which will allow us to better relate to students from different backgrounds and countries, building Culturally Responsive Education

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