UFT Deal Beyond Economics

From virtually the outset of the de Blasio administration, United Federation of Teachers President Mike Mulgrew made it clear that, after icy relations with former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his Chancellors—which followed the strained dealings between his predecessor, Randi Weingarten, and Mayor Rudy Giuliani—he placed value on cooperation that couldn’t be measured in dollars and cents.

After Mr. Bloomberg let his stubborn streak veer into foolishness by refusing to extend a bargaining pattern with the UFT that had given most other city unions two 4-percent raises a decade ago, so much time passed that for Mr. de Blasio to honor that pattern, he was going to need an accommodation from the UFT to prevent his budget from going on tilt. Mr. Mulgrew agreed to delay payment of most of the retroactive money from the raises by several years and accepted wage hikes beyond the two 4-percent raises that wouldn’t keep pace with inflation.