PSC 2011-2012 Legislative Priorities

NEW YORK STATE PRIORITIES

CUNY budget:

• Fully-fund mandatory cost increases including
• stable funding for adjunct faculty health insurance
• funding for 440 additional full-time instructional lines.
• Restore community college base operating aid to $2675 per FTE student (to FY 2008 levels).

Adjunct Unemployment Insurance (A 6673 Wright / S 727 Peralta) *
This legislation would make clear that part-time faculty, who are otherwise eligible to receive UI benefits, will not be disqualified if CUNY’s offer of work in the next semester is contingent on enrollment, funding or programmatic change. Such contingent offers would not count as “reasonable assurance.”

Stop Governor Cuomo’s omnibus Tier 6 bill would cut benefits and shift costs to all state and city public employees. Proposed changes would cut pension benefits to future PSC members in either TRS system or the Optional Retirement Program.

Tuition Assistance Program reforms: increase needs-based financial aid for low and moderate income students attending NY public universities. Support for the NYS Regents’ proposal to extend TAP to undocumented students attending a public college and eligible for in-state tuition.

• Increase maximum TAP grants to match public university tuition.
• Fully-fund Part-Time TAP to benefit all students who need it.
• Treat all low-income students equitably: raise eligibility and grant levels for financially independent students without dependents to provide the same level of TAP support.
• Restore TAP grants to graduate students.

Require greater transparency of the CUNY Research Foundations (S 5797 LaValle / A 7789-A Glick)
This bill makes the CUNY and SUNY Research Foundations and any auxiliary service corporations or non-profits associated with public higher education institutions subject to the Freedom of Information Law.

Reform the selection process for CUNY Trustees (S 5321 Robach / A 159 Cahill) **
This bill establishes a commission to evaluate the qualifications and credentials for potential trustees for CUNY, SUNY and community colleges, and bars employees of the city or state from being appointed as university trustees.

New York Healthy Workplace Act (S 4289 Savino / A 4258 Englebright)
This bill would establish the right for employees to sue their employer for abusive conduct, bullying or failing to prevent an abusive work environment.

* Assemblyman Rory Lancman introduced the same legislation under the title “Adjunct Professors’ Unemployment Insurance Fairness Act (A 2418 Lancman).

** We have also supported legislation submitted by Senator Toby Stavisky (S 1217 Stavisky / A 223 Lancman) which bars city and state employees from being appointed as university trustees.