We are pleased to report that the PSC has reached an agreement with CUNY to release $1,397,427 in contractual funds to support our members’ travel to professional meetings and conferences. CUNY will disburse the funds to the colleges in two installments, one on October 15, 2022, another on July 1, 2023. This means that the university is accountable to our contract, and PSC members will be better supported in their professional and scholarly endeavors as a result.
The allocation of travel funds that accumulated during the early pandemic period is on top of the regular annual allocation ($1.8 million university-wide).
The COVID-19 pandemic brought most travel to a halt in early 2020. Funds that would otherwise have been available under Article 28 of our collective bargaining agreement went unallocated. With the goal of helping to revive scholarship, research, and professional development, the PSC initiated impact bargaining with CUNY this summer to direct these funds toward their intended purpose. As in-person conferences and professional meetings resumed, it was critical to us that members receive the full value of this provision.
Importantly, the agreement also recognizes that some professional meetings and conferences may continue to convene virtually. Therefore, the cost of registration for online professional meetings and conferences is an eligible use of these travel allowances through the 2023-24 academic year. The upcoming contract negotiations are an opportunity to extend this provision further.
This agreement adds to several others that the PSC successfully negotiated in impact bargaining during the pandemic, including the extension of the CLT tenure clock and Lecturer CCE clock, the protocol for safety walkthroughs of campus facilities, the remote work agreement, the policy for reasonable exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the extension of the deadline for use of annual leave time, and the sabbatical extension.
In solidarity,
James Davis, President
Published: October 23, 2022 | Last Modified: October 31, 2022
