PSC News
and Updates

weekly calendar.  

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.  

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NYSUT: NO ENDORSEMENT FOR GOVERNOR

On Thursday, August 12th,  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. 

PSC First Vice President Steve London described some of the reasons that Cuomo found so little support among NYSUT delegates: “He’s attacked public employees, ruled out a more progressive income tax, favored a hard cap on property taxes, and he’s come out in favor of privatizing CUNY & SUNY funding.” 

“Obviously, we could find little in common with Lazio or Paladino,” NYSUT President Richard Iannuzzi told the Albany Times-Union. But while Cuomo had supported public education in the past, Iannuzzi said, “we have serious issues” with positions Cuomo has staked out in the current campaign. 

The decision not to endorse a couple of dozen incumbent State Senators, both Republicans and Democrats, was similarly based on differences over key issues. “Democratic Senators Stachowski and Foley were not endorsed because of their leadership in pushing for privatization of SUNY-CUNY funding,” said London.  “NYSUT Directors agreed with our position that Sen. Kruger should not be endorsed if he continues to bottle-up the Adjunct Unemployment Insurance Bill in the Finance Committee, which he chairs.” 

More on NYSUT’s endorsement actions here.

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KEY FEDERAL LEGISLATION PASSED.

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THE BUDGET CRISIS:

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 if federal legislation for increased funding to the states passes 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.

U.S. Senate Acts to Save Teacher Jobs:  By a 61-39 vote, the U.S. Senate approved $26 billion in aid for cash-strapped states August 5. The measure provides $10 billion that will help avert layoffs of more than 100,000 teachers and school support personnel across the country, including 7,100 K-12 education workers in New York State. It also contains $16 billion to help states defray Medicaid expenses, including $2 billion for New York. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called members back to Washington on Tuesday, August 10, to vote on the measure. If it passes the House as expected, it will be sent to President Obama, who supports the legislation. To contact your Congressperson about this crucial vote, click here.

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.

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B.O.T. VOTES "YES" ON Early Retirement Incentive.

The CUNY BOT voted on Monday (6/28) 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.

The incentive will provide for members of the NYC Teachers Retirement System additional service credit of one month for each year of service to a maximum of 36 months for 36 years of service.  Members of TIAA/CREF will receive 1/12xyears of servicex15% salary to a maximum of 45% of salary with 36 years of service. This lump sum will go directly into the TIAA/CREF pension plan in late spring of 2011.  Travia and annual payments will be spread out over 3 payments in late spring of 2011, 2012 and 2013. There will be January, 2011 deadline dates by which forms will have to be filed with both the university and the retirement system. The PSC will be setting up meetings in the fall on each campus for those interested. CUNY will also be holding meetings in all 5 boroughs and TIAA/CREF individual counselors will be on campus continuously to meet with instructional staff.  For those interested in making an appointment with a TIAA/CREF counselor please call 1-800-732-8353.

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Dedicated Sick Leave Program at CUNY Announced

[Posted 5/3/10]  The PSC is proud to announce that CUNY now has a Dedicated Sick Leave program allowing eligible participants to donate and receive sick days in cases of serious injury or illness.  The program arises from a PSC contract demand and fulfills a commitment made in the current contract to negotiate a Dedicated Sick Leave program modeled on the City of New York’s program.  Negotiations continue on allowing part-time employees to receive donated sick days, and to create a Sick Day Bank, on which individuals could also draw.  The new program covers full-time instructional and classified staff at CUNY and, in a first, was jointly bargained by all the unions representing affected staff at CUNY.  Full-time faculty and staff can donate and receive leave from their PSC colleagues, and also from department secretaries and custodial workers.

The program’s eligibility requirements are based on the City’s program, and are specified in the full text of the agreement.  To receive dedicated sick leave, a full-time employee has to have been employed at least 2 years at CUNY and have an illness or injury requiring an absence of at least 30 continuous working days. Employees with fewer than 5 years of service may donate only annual leave.  Employees with 5 years or more may also donate up to 10 sick leave days per year.  Annual leave is credited to a recipient as a full day; sick leave is credited to a recipient as a half day.

Program details and the applications to donate and receive leave will be posted on the PSC website shortly.  College HR Offices are responsible for implementing this benefit; contact your HR Office for more details.

Click here for a PDF of the agreement.

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UFS FACULTY EXPERIENCE SURVEY (Spring 2009) is now available online at www.cunyufs.org/FES/.  The survey and its data-rich appendices provide a look at levels of faculty satisfaction/dissatisfaction broken down by college and university wide.

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DELUTRO AND YELLOWITZ HONORED. 

Iris DeLutro (Higher Education Member of the Year) and Irwin Yellowitz (Retiree of the Year) were honored at the NYSUT RA.  Click their names for details.

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Click here for an analysis of the issues raised by 80th Street's plans for a new community college.

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RACE & EMPLOYMENT AT CUNY. 

More than six years ago, CUNY college presidents called for a “revitalization” of the University’s affirmative action programs. Progress since then has been uneven: A few steps forward and some notable steps backward.  Click here for Clarion article.

Click image to send an "Act Now" letter to Albany urging passage of a bill for adjunct unemployment benefits.

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◄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 signing the letter to Albany lawmakers here.

Click here for more information.

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PSC, UUP, NYSUT Leaders Reject Regents’ Proposed “Reforms” 

This Fall, the New York State Board of Regents proposed sweeping changes to teacher preparation that, if enacted, could affect thousands of PSC and UUP members who teach in departments of education, and, of course, future teachers. Schools of education are already subject to national accreditation and the Regents’ proposals are largely untested and, in many respects, clearly unwise,” said PSC First Vice President Steve London, who has worked on the union’s position, which was informed by extensive discussions with the education faculty. Last week, PSC President Barbara Bowen, UUP President Phil Smith and NYUST First Vice President Maria Neira wrote Education Commissioner David Steiner rebutting the proposals. “The proposal would have been strengthened by involving faculty in these discussions,” Bowen, Smith, and Neira wrote before arguing each point in detail. (See the letter here).

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April 2010 saw the implementation of the final phase of the legislative victory on pension equity spearheaded by the PSC.  The pension equity legislation, passed in 2008 as a result of intense advocacy in Albany, increases take-home pay for employees in the Optional Retirement Programs (primarily TIAA-CREF) who have 10 years of full-time service.  Details. 

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More than 1,200 PSC members returned an affordable housing survey that the union sent out this summer. The survey was an initial step toward assessing what role the union might play in addressing members’ housing needs. Details.

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Overtime pay and compensatory time have been crucial issues for HEOs and the union has pursued a multi-pronged strategy to address it. More than a year ago an arbitration ruling definitively declared that the PSC contract bars CUNY from regularly scheduling HEOs for more than 35 hours a week. The arbitrator also ruled that the contract allows CUNY to grant compensatory time off to HEOs. In May 2007, the union also won a legal settlement, based on the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that established time-and-a-half overtime pay for eligible HEO series employees for time worked beyond 40 hours in a week. The union and the University have now worked out an implementation agreement in response to these rulings. The August 24 deadline for filing comp. time claims comes from that agreement.

HEOs who have questions about the agreement after reading the mailing should call the Contract Enforcement Department at the PSC to speak with a HEO grievance counselor. (Please read the letter and enclosed Q&A sheet first…it might answer your questions without the need for a call.)

HEOs can read the overtime implementation agreement by clicking here.

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The American Federation of Teachers (AFT, our parent union) announced a campaign to collect one million signatures on a petition calling on the new president and Congress to pass the federal Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). EFCA would reform our national labor law to protect the right of workers to form unions. Current labor law is tilted in favor of the employer and fails to guarantee that workers who try to form unions will not face vicious anti-union campaigns by their employers. The result is that fewer workers are able to join unions, which means fewer workers have the power to bargain for better wages and work conditions. This dynamic means that there is a downward pull on the pay and quality of all jobs. Click here to add your name to the petition -- or click the button below.

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For information and application materials for HEO-CLT grants and the new series of Adjunct/CET grants click here.
 

The minutes for the PSC Delegate Assembly, beginning with the 2006-2007 academic year, are now online (click here).

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PSC MODIFIES AGENCY FEE REBATE POLICY

On April 3, 2008, the PSC modified its agency fee rebate notice and procedure for consistency with existing rulings on the subject and a decision of the Second Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals. Details.

New Court Ruling on Agency Fee Withholdings.  In October, 2009, the US Court of Appeals upheld the PSC’s right to charge non-members for political activities aimed at securing a new contract and for lobbying efforts related to collective bargaining, but remanded to the Second District Court for further review the bases of the union’s actual apportionment of charges in four categories of expense and one category of expense of the PSC’s national affiliate. Details

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