Mulgrew was often the public face of the UFT during 2008 and 2009 when the union joined with advocates, community groups and other unions to fight for more school funding.
In February 2009, Mulgrew organized a bus caravan of teachers to Washington DC to fight for federal stimulus money for schools[REF] and also organized leafleting and phone banks in advance of a massive union rally at New York's City Hall on March 5, 2009 [REF].