Don’t Rank Cuomo for Mayor | No Kings March Saturday

The Executive Council of the PSC voted to change our union’s endorsements for NYC mayor after Jessica Ramos endorsed Andrew Cuomo. We are now urging voters to rank Michael Blake in fourth or fifth place.

The PSC is also urging members to not rank Cuomo. As Governor, Andrew Cuomo instituted Tier 6 pensions, which forced PSC members and other state employees to work longer and pay more into the pension system to retire. He vetoed legislation to protect CUNY and SUNY funding three times, refused to fund public-sector union contracts, and tried to cut a half billion dollars from CUNY’s state funding. To protect CUNY in this election, rank 5 candidates and do not rank Cuomo.

Please turnout early and vote for the PSC’s endorsed candidates for Citywide Office and City Council. Your early voting site may be different from your Election Day poll site, so make sure to check before you go! Click here to find your early voting poll site.

All dues-paying PSC members are welcome to participate in an online briefing about the union’s Mayoral endorsements, how to use Ranked Choice Voting, and our get out the vote effort happening on Zoom Monday, June 16 at 6:30 PM and Monday, June 23 at 12:30 PM. Members who have attended recent chapter meetings with presentations about the election do not need to attend; the content overlaps. Others should come ready to learn, to hear questions answered, and to be part of the campaign for the New York we deserve.

• Register here for the briefing on Monday, June 16 at 6:30 PM.
• Register here for the briefing on Monday, June 23 at 12:30 PM.

President Trump has deployed National Guard troops and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles against the wishes of local leaders in an attempt to quell the City’s mass resistance to ICE and his cruel deportations. Large scale anti-ICE protests have arisen in at least 25 cities across the country since Monday, and No Kings, the largest mass mobilization yet, is scheduled for this Saturday, June 14, Trump’s birthday and the day of his fascistic military parade in Washington D.C.

Let’s show that we are a nation of the people, of organized labor and coordinated dissent against Trump’s dangerous agenda. Let’s fill the streets of New York with a demonstration of a different kind of power than the spectacle in Washington.

This Saturday, June 14th New York City will march from Bryant Park to Madison Square Park to defy the would-be tyrant Donald Trump and his enablers. The action is one of 1800 events being organized across the nation. Sign up at this link to march with the PSC contingent and plan to meet us at 1:30 PM in front of Guttman Community College on West 40th Street facing Bryant Park (map). The march is scheduled to step off at 2:00 PM.

Tell us you’ll be there June 14th to march for dignity, democracy, and a government that serves the people—not a king.

RSVP: NO KINGS

 ADD YOUR NAME HERE.

Federal investment in research generates enormous benefits for our health, our global leadership in innovation, and our economy. In the sciences and beyond, federal grants also provide support to students and academic workers. Our Congressional representatives must insist that appropriated funds be disbursed as intended and must resist severe cuts that will prevent future therapies and other innovations. Add your name and share this sign-on link far and wide to help us collect endorsements from as many CUNY and SUNY researchers as possible. We’ll keep you updated on the Working Group’s plans to meet with our representatives and deliver the letter.

SIGN DEFEND RESEARCH LETTER

In response to the emergency conditions in federal immigration court, the PSC is organizing a weekly shift of members to support immigrants who are at risk of detention by ICE when they leave downtown Manhattan courthouses. Starting this Friday, June 13, and returning each Friday in June, the plan is to take one shift of support every Friday from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM. To participate, PSC members must also attend a mandatory online training and orientation. The next training will be held Wednesday, June 18 at 3 PM — register here for the Zoom training.

On June 2nd, the NYC Office of the Mayor announced the conclusion of the bidding process to identify a new health insurance provider to replace the current city employee comprehensive benefits plan (CBP). That plan has been offered by Emblem/GHI + Anthem/Blue Cross. The new provider will be administered by Emblem with a new partner, United Healthcare. The negotiated acquisition process took more than a year and involved representatives from the NYC Office of Labor Relations, the NYC Office of Management and Budget and the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC), which represents the city’s public sector unions, including the PSC. The next step will be to negotiate the contract with Emblem/United.

Few details are available at this point about the winning bid from Emblem/United. But as the PSC representative to the MLC, President James Davis will keep members informed as more information becomes available. Read his most recent update about the pending changes.

ZOOM Meeting: Monday, June 30, 6:30 PM

PSC members in the following titles are eligible to apply for a HEO-CLT Professional Development Fund award of up to $3000: HEO series, CLT series, CLIP Instructor, CUNY Start Instructor, Non-Teaching Adjunct, and EOC Lecturer.

The union will host an online information session on the HEO-CLT Professional Development Fund on Monday, June 30th at 6:30PM. Register here to participate.