Changes come at a critical time
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President Barbara Bowen, Treasurer Sharon Persinger and Secretary Nivedita Majumdar were re-elected to new three-year terms following an uncontested union-wide election in April. Andrea Vásquez was elected as first vice president, replacing Mike Fabricant, who remains on the executive council and acts as the union’s legislative representative. Vásquez will also continue in her role as chair of the higher education officer chapter.
“All of us who were elected thank the members for their support,” said Bowen. “We take seriously the trust you have invested in us and the privilege of being accountable to you, especially in these terrible political times.”
The names of new executive council members are in italics.
The university-wide officers are Michael Fabricant, Steve London, George Sanchez, Luke Elliot-Negri and Alia Tyner-Mullings.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
The new vice president for senior colleges is Penny Lewis and the senior college officers are James Davis, Michael Batson and David Hatchett. The vice president for community colleges is Lorraine Cohen and the community college officers are Michael Spear, Sharon Utakis and Howard Meltzer.
The vice president for cross-campus units is Iris DeLutro and the cross-campus officers are Janet Winter, Jacqueline Elliot and Myrlene Dieudonne. The retiree officers are Joan Greenbaum and Steve Leberstein. The new vice president for part-time personnel is Carly Smith and the part-time officers are Susan DiRaimo, Blanca Vásquez and Meg Feeley.
Two vice presidents, Lewis and Smith, are new in their vice-presidential roles.
CHALLENGING YEARS
“These next three years should be critical years for our union and for public sector unions more widely. In addition to the Janus decision, we continue to face austerity from the political sector and increasing corporatization from CUNY management,” Lewis said. “As daunting as these conditions are, they also give us a chance to infuse our union work with more urgency and creativity and to engage our colleagues directly in the meaningful and politically relevant work ahead.”
Smith told Clarion, “It’s long past time that we prioritize the fundamental, non-negotiable demand for equal pay for equal work in higher education. I’m excited to join the struggle as vice president for part-time personnel and am committed to help create a winning strategy for $7,000 per course per semester and comprehensive job security for CUNY part-time faculty.”
