◄restore
the cuts to CUNY
proposed by
Mayor Bloomberg.
Send
an "Act Now"
letter to the
NYC City Council
urging (1)
restoration of
the the cuts to
CUNY proposed by
Mayor Bloomberg
(a $36.3 million
cut to CUNY's
operating budget
and a $4.3
million
reduction in
City
Council-sponsored
programs for
CUNY students)
and (2)
rejection of a
tuition increase
for community
college
students.
Unemployment
Insurance For
Adjuncts
Passes NYS
Senate Labor
Committee.
On Monday, April
20th, the Senate
Labor committee
unanimously
passed S. 4123-A
(Onorato),
a bill that
would ensure
access to
unemployment
insurance for
contingent
faculty (who,
unlike other
workers whose
employment is
episodic, are
not currently
eligible for
unemployment
insurance).
A companion bill
is working its
way through the
NYS Assembly:
A-613-A. Prospects for
passage by both
the NYS Senate
and Assembly
look promising.
Click
here
to send a letter
to your
state legislators
urging passage.
More.
State Budget
Deal Includes
Some Fair Share
Tax Reform and
Other Wins.
The
state budget
deal
include two new
tax brackets for
New York’s
wealthiest
residents.
PSCers advocated
for fair share
tax reform by
sending hundreds
of Act Now
letters (see
letter on left)
to their
legislators. PSC
advocacy was
successful in
beating back the
proposed cuts to
community
college base aid
and proposed
changes to TAP
that would have
increased the
the number of
credits needed
for full awards.
Unfortunately,
the budget does
include a $600
tuition hike for
senior college
students. On the
labor front, the
union movement
was able to
defeat most of
Governor
Paterson’s
regressive
proposals,
including the
new pension
tier. As PSC
President
Barbara Bowen
told members in
a recent email,
the governor’s
announced plan
for layoffs does
not include CUNY
and SUNY faculty
or staff. Click
here
for Clarion
article with a
more detailed
analysis.
VICTORY
ON PROPOSED
COMMUNITY
COLLEGE CUTS.
We
won in the face
of a threatened
$4.3 million cut
to CUNY
community
colleges. The
budget bills
passed in Albany
on February 3rd
close the
current year's
budget gap
without touching
community
college
support.
Thousands of PSC
members
responded to our
call to become
active in this
fight. More
than 9,000
people
throughout the
state sent
messages to
their
representatives
-- including Act
Now letters (see
left), Hundreds
organized on
their campuses,
and a large PSC
delegation
journeyed to
Albany to lobby
with our
brothers and
sisters from
NYSUT, our state
affiliate.
THE BUDGET
CAMPAIGN PAGE.
For full
facts about the
budget crisis
and to find out
what you can do,
click
here.
