As Clarion went to press, it was announced that adjunct health insurance through the PSC-CUNY Welfare Fund has been extended for a year and two months – through June 30, 2014. An agreement between the PSC and CUNY on the 14-month extension was reached on April 24, and was supported by a vote by the Welfare Fund Board of Trustees.
“I had hoped to be able to announce a permanent shift of adjunct health insurance to the City of New York, but agreement with the City has not been reached,” PSC President Barbara Bowen wrote in a message to potentially affected members. “Rather than ask you to live in uncertainty any longer, the PSC worked with CUNY to negotiate an extension of the current adjunct health insurance program through the Welfare Fund. We are grateful to the CUNY administration and to the Welfare Fund Trustees and staff.”
Bowen said the union would provide more information in a subsequent message. For now, she wrote, “the important news…is that coverage through the Welfare Fund will continue to be available. Coverage through the Welfare Fund is not a permanent solution, and the union will continue to work with CUNY on a long-term structural solution. Meanwhile, we have agreed on the extension.”
“I regret deeply the anxiety the constant renewals have caused you,” Bowen wrote, thanking affected adjuncts for their patience. “All of us on the PSC negotiating committee hope that the 14-month extension will offer some sense of health security while we continue to work on the long-term plan.”
