The turnout for this year-end meeting was the largest yet! Many new faces and an air of interest and excitement!
The elected union representatives introduced themselves.
Announcements were made on the still-being-negotiated contract. We are waiting until after the mayoral elections to push the financial issues. Thus far we have codified paid leave for parents of newly born or newly adopted children; and an experiment to ease retirement for early retirement-faculty may teach ½ time at 50% of their annual salaries and maintain health coverage and additions to pension; staff will need to work at 80%. This experiment will last for three years and will be reevaluated then. Anyone requesting this “easing out” must agree to retirement at the end of three years.
Susan DiReimo reported on the numerous trips to Albany to speak with our legislators for full funding for CUNY. Adjunct health care coverage will be covered thru the end of June with optimism that PSC would reach final agreement with the City and State.
Carla Cappetti reported on our victories in defending numerous full time faculty in reaching their tenure through special appeals to the administration, also assuring some adjuncts continuous service for them to maintain their health coverage.
Bill Crain reported on the college-wide MOOC committee at CCNY working out issues with the increasing imposition of on-line courses and course work.
A 3-4% budget cut was announced by the administration that will heavily affect adjunct faculty and staff. We have objected that this ultimately affects our students’ education and is counter to the progress we have been making.
Chancellor Goldstein has announced his retirement. William Kelly, formerly President of the Grad Center, will serve as Interim Chancellor.
Discussion was animated around the imposition of Pathways on the colleges. This “top down” initiative by the central administration is a violation of faculty responsibility for curriculum and a “dumbing down” of the curriculum for our students. Our union has initiated two lawsuits against this imposition of Pathways.
We will be represented by full time and adjunct faculty, our HEO chair and two RAs at our May 28th Labor-Management meeting. The goal is to open the dialogue with administration that is all inclusive of our members and their issues.
We thanked George Brandon for his years of service as he has announced his retirement.
We wish everyone a peaceful and productive summer.
Alan Feigenberg
Chair, CCNY Chapter of the PSC-CUNY
