Bargaining Update 5 | Join Us for the NYC Labor Day Parade

Bargaining Update #5

In its August 22 session with CUNY, the PSC bargaining team – joined by a dozen PSC members observing – began with a rejoinder to CUNY’s August 8 overview of their bargaining agenda. President Davis indicated the union’s willingness to review proposals from CUNY management but expressed the union’s objection to the direction that management’s bargaining agenda sought to take the University. The PSC bargaining agenda goes to the heart of what will improve the quality of a CUNY education by taking care of the people who make the university run. Read the full update.

NYC Labor Day Parade—Saturday, September 9

PSC members will be marching for a new contract and celebrating our union pride at this year’s NYC Labor Day Parade on Saturday, September 9. Bring your friends and family, your PSC swag, and your marching shoes. We’ll bring the signs, stickers, water and these cool new bandanas! PSC members at the parade will be leafleting our fellow unions to mobilize CUNY alumni and other workers in the fight for a #NewDeal4CUNY and a Fair Contract for #APeoplesCUNY. Let us know you’ll be there.

PSC members will assemble with other education unions on East 45th St. between 5th Ave. and Madison Ave. Plan to arrive between 10:00-10:30 AM. Our step off for the march is scheduled for 11:00 AM.

RSVP: LABOR DAY PARADE, SEPT. 9

Adjunct Pay Dates Fall 2023

For the Fall 2023 semester, teaching adjuncts are scheduled to be paid on eight successive adjunct pay dates. At the senior colleges, the first pay date will be September 7 and the last pay date will be December 14. At the community colleges, the first pay date will be September 1 and the last pay date will be December 8. LaGuardia, Kingsborough, and Guttman community colleges are on a different schedule. Their first and last Fall session pay dates are September 29 and January 5, respectively. All dates are posted here on the PSC website.

NYC March to End Fossil Fuels
March with the PSC

As daily headlines make clear, the climate crisis is becoming ever more urgent. While President Biden and the Democrats in Congress have made some progress, much more must be done to keep the crisis from getting much worse. That’s why the September 17th March to End Fossil Fuels in New York City is being organized ahead of the next United Nations Climate Ambition Summit. Thousands of us will take to the streets to press President Biden to declare a climate emergency and turbo-charge a just clean energy future. Click here for more information on the march and its demands.

A large contingent of PSC members will join the march on Sunday, 9/17. We’ll be gathering at 12:00 noon at the staging area for organized labor at West 53rd St. and Broadway. We expect to step off at around 1:00 p.m., marching south. Sign up here to join the march so the PSC Environmental Justice Working Group can follow up with you. We need you there!

RSVP: SEPT 17 CLIMATE MARCH

Member Benefits: Catastrophe Major Medical Plan to Offer Limited-Time Open Enrollment

The Catastrophe Major Medical Plan, sponsored by the Member Benefits program of our statewide affiliate NYSUT, will offer an open enrollment from September 8, 2023 to October 13, 2023 — with an effective date of January 1, 2024. This rare opportunity is open only to dues-paying union members. (Not a member? Join the PSC here!) The CMM Plan offers supplemental coverage for you and your eligible family members. Once the out-of-pocket deductible has been satisfied, this Plan provides benefits for eligible expenses that your basic plan does not fully cover, including prescription drugs. This coverage is not long-term care or nursing home insurance. But it does include limited nursing/convalescent home benefits, home health care benefits up to 25 hours per week, a $1000 critical illness benefit, and more. Click here for the announcement, explainer video and enrollment information.

Member Benefits will be hosting a number of live informational webinars about the CMM Plan and open enrollment period. These sessions will begin on September 5, 2023.

PSC President James Davis to Receive Public Service Award

President Davis and four other New York City labor leaders will be honored at a luncheon sponsored by the publication Labor Press on Thursday, September 7. He will receive the Public Service Award alongside Daniel Cassella, (President, ATU Local 726), Joseph Colangelo (President, SEIU Local 246), Nancy Hagans (President, NYSNA), and Henry Rubio (President, AFSA Local 1 CSA). President Davis is being recognized for his commitment to high quality public higher education and for the PSC’s principled campaign to protect retiree health care.

Standing with Striking SAG-AFTRA and WGA Workers

PSC members walked the picket line outside HBO and Amazon with striking writers and actors this Tuesday to show our solidarity with their struggle and recharge for our own contract fight. We were there with colleagues from United University Professions, NYSUT, and AFT, with labor leaders, including Vincent Alvarez, president of the New York City Central Labor Council, and with elected officials like Senate Labor Chair Jessica Ramos, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, and Council Member Alexa Aviles.

Fair wages, protection of workers’ rights and compensation in a changing industry and better healthcare are among the critical issues for both SAG-AFTRA and the WGA . PSC members face similar challenges in our contract campaign as we fight the erosion in the value of our pay, the gigification of academia, and the top-down shift toward online education. Watch your email and social media for more opportunities to stand with your CUNY colleagues on the SAG-AFTRA and WGA lines. And check out this #OnStrikeSummer resources page from the Central Labor Council for other ways to get involved.

Belle Zeller Scholarship Trust Fund
2023 Friends of CUNY & Salute Our Scholars Event
September 12, 6PM, John Jay College

Tickets are available to CUNY faculty and staff for the annual Friends of CUNY & Salute Our Scholars fundraiser event to benefit the Belle Zeller Scholarship Trust Fund. Proceeds from ticket sales will help provide financial aid to CUNY students who demonstrate a commitment to social change and academic excellence. The Fund was established by the PSC in 1979 and honors the PSC’s founding president, Belle Zeller, Professor Emerita of Political Science at Brooklyn College, where she taught for more than 40 years. Learn more and buy tickets here.