The PSC will be holding a two-day workshop in April. The workshops will examine how the PSC/CUNY contract works for you and how the union defends members’ rights through the grievance and arbitration process. The workshop will be held from 11 am to 3 pm on April 22 and 23; registration details are below.
Who is this workshop for? “Any PSC member who’s interested in knowing more about the union contract is invited to attend,” Debra Bergen [retired], the PSC’s director of contract enforcement, told Clarion before a similar workshop last year. “Knowledge is power, and any time you don’t know your rights, or your colleagues’ rights, you are putting yourself in a weaker position. By learning more, you can make yourself stronger and make the union stronger.”
Basic Rights
The first day will focus on basic contractual rights and protections such as annual evaluation and observations procedures, junior faculty research reassigned time and HEO/CLT workweeks as defined. Members who can only attend for one day are welcome. The second day will focus on skill-building tools that can be useful for any member, but especially for members considering becoming more active in the union, as well as chapter chairs, grievance counselors, department representatives, prospective grievance counselors, members of the chapter executive committees and union delegates.
“The contract lies at the center of day-to-day union practice,” says Bergen, “and this is information every union member can use.”
Key topics include:
- An overview of basic contractual rights
- The structure and framework for contract enforcement at the PSC
- The legal and contractual framework for grievance handling and union representation
- The role and responsibilities of the chapter grievance counselor
- Creative strategies for resolving workplace issues.
Sessions will take place in the PSC Union Hall, on the 16th floor of 61 Broadway, on Wednesday, April 22, and Thursday, April 23, from 11 am to 3 pm both days. If you plan to attend please RSVP to Renée Lasher, coordinator of contract administration, at [email protected] no later than April 11.
