NEWS:
CUNY and PSC
Reach Agreement
on Enhanced PSC-CUNY
Awards.
The Professional
Staff Congress
and The City
University of
New York are
pleased to
announce a
three-year pilot
program to
streamline the
selection
process and
enhance the PSC-CUNY
Research
Awards. As part
of the
restructured
program, faculty
retain
responsibility
for the
selection
process; a new
category of
awards of up to
$12,000 has been
introduced; and
the application
deadline has
been changed to
January 15. In
reaching the
agreement with
the University,
the PSC
leadership
worked closely
with the chair
of the
University
Faculty Senate
and current
members of the
University
Committee on
Research
Awards.
Details.
ERIC
SCHNEIDERMAN FOR
AG. In
an 8/30/10
press release,
the PSC
announced its
endorsement of
Eric
Schneiderman
for NYS Attorney
General.
For this and
other
endorsements in
key NYS primary
races, go to the
PSC-Political
Action Committee
website.
PSC CONTRACT
EDUCATION
WORKSHOPS.
The union will
be offering
informational
workshops
and training for
union officers,
grievance
counselors and
activists.
Workshops will take
place on Tuesday
evenings from
October 12th to
November 23rd.
Details.
EARLY
RETIREMENT INITIATIVE (ERI). The
CUNY BOT voted on
Monday June 28th to allow all fulltime members of the instructional
staff who have at least 10 years of service and are at least 50
years old as of January 27, 2011 to consider taking the state
sponsored early retirement incentive.
Two separate PSC
information
brochures on
CUNY’s 2010
Early Retirement
Incentive (ERI)
are now
available.
-
TRS brochure
for members
of the
Teachers
Retirement
System.
-
ORP brochure
is for
members of
TIAA-CREF
and other
plans in
CUNY’s
Optional
Retirement
Program (ORP).
ERI information
is also
available on the
CUNY website.
For more
details, click
here.
NYSUT: NO
ENDORSEMENT FOR
GOVERNOR.
Last Thursday
(8/12/10)
New York State
United Teachers
(NYSUT), the
PSC’s state
affiliate,
decided to make
“no endorsement
at this time” in
the race for
governor. NYSUT
also decided not
to endorse a
number of state
legislators who
had received the
union’s
endorsement in
the past.
Details.
State
LEGISLATURE
PASSES Budget/
NIXES
"EMPOWERMENT"
ACT.
On Tuesday,
8/3/10, the New
York State
Legislature
finally
passed a budget—and
it did not
include the
“Public Higher
Education
Empowerment and
Innovation Act,”
the plan to
charge different
tuition for
different majors
and to replace
public funding
for CUNY and
SUNY with
private tuition
dollars. The PSC
strongly
opposed
PHEEIA.
Details.
State Budget Cuts: While stopping PHEEIA was a major victory, the budget approved by the Legislature currently includes funding reductions for CUNY senior and community colleges. There is, however, some possibility these reductions can be mitigated
as a result of federal legislation for increased funding to the states passed this week. The PSC will do everything we can do to resist reductions and to protect the interests of our members and of CUNY students.
CITY BUDGET
UPDATE.
The City budget
for CUNY, passed
on Tuesday 6/29,
is welcomed good
news. CUNY
community
college base aid
was increased
over last year’s
budget; a
significant
victory in this
difficult budget
climate.
There were some
disappointments,
too.
Full update.
◄Help Adjunct
Unemployment
Pass This
Session.
As the PSC
continues its
fight for a fair
budget for CUNY,
we are pressing
to remedy the
serious inequity
in the state
unemployment
insurance
program. Current
law is unfairly
exploited to
prevent
part-time
faculty from
claiming the
benefits due
them, the same
benefits to
which all other
seasonal workers
are entitled.
Please join the
push for
fairness now by
clicking
here
to sign the
letter to Albany
lawmakers.
More.
NEXT CONTRACT --
JOIN THE
COMMITTEE OF
500.
The PSC’s
contract expires
in October 2010.
This is a tough
time to
negotiate, but,
as always, we
get the contract
that we fight
for. Are
you willing to
help win a good
contract for the
next
negotiations by
joining the
Committee of
500? Click
here
to find out more
-- and to join.
MORE UPDATES on
the
PSC-News
page of this
website.
