NYC Labor Day Parade
March with the PSC this Saturday, September 9
This Saturday’s Labor Day Parade is an opportunity to show our union’s solidarity and strength as we begin another semester of contract negotiations with CUNY. We need you there to march for our new contract! Your friends and family are welcome to join us. We’ll have signs, stickers, water and bandanas for PSC members and leaflets 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 this Saturday, September 9 between 10:00-10:30 AM. Our step off for the march is scheduled for 11:00 AM.
RSVP: LABOR DAY PARADE, SEPT. 9
Want to Observe a Bargaining Session?
The first step is to attend an Orientation to PSC-CUNY Bargaining Observation.
Well over 140 PSC members have observed our bargaining sessions thus far, adding power to our negotiations and smart analysis to our session debriefs. All dues-paying PSC members are welcome to attend, space permitting, after completing an online Orientation to PSC-CUNY Bargaining Observation. The next orientations are scheduled for Tuesday, September 12, 12:30-1:30 PM (Register for the 9/12 Zoom) and Thursday, October 5, 6:30-7:30PM (Register for the 10/5 Zoom).
The next bargaining session is scheduled for Wednesday, September 20, 9:30AM – 12:00PM. It will be hosted by the PSC at 25 Broadway. Demands relating to HEOs and teaching adjuncts will be discussed during the session. So, if you’re in the HEO series or a teaching adjunct who hasn’t completed the orientation yet but wants to attend the 9/20 bargaining session, sign up now for the Tuesday, September 12 orientation.
Rally at Hunter College
PSC members and CUNY students rallied outside Hunter College last Thursday, August 31st to demand a strong PSC-CUNY contract. The rally, organized by the Hunter chapter, was the first of many local actions planned for this semester. Sign up for your Campus Action Team to help plan and build the campaign for a Fair Contract for #APeoplesCUNY. And mark your calendar and pledge to participate in the events listed here and below in our Fall 23 Strategic Action Plan.
CUNY Adjuncts Must Be Paid On Time!
President James Davis wrote to Chancellor Matos Rodríguez last week to insist that all CUNY adjuncts receive their first paychecks on time. The letter to the Chancellor notes that the PSC has a demand to address the problem of late adjunct pay checks in our next contract. It says that late adjunct paychecks are “a recurring, systemic problem that [the chancellor’s] administration has, to date, failed to remedy.” It calls on the chancellor to fix the technical issues and hiring practices that contribute to the problem, and urges him to tell the college presidents, Human Resources/Payroll offices, and deans to “make a priority of respect and on-time pay for adjuncts.”
A response from the Senior Vice Chancellor for University Human Resources and Labor Relations said last-minute changes and state payroll deadlines are the main problem. President Davis’s letter addressed this, saying: “If hiring practices must be improved so that colleges and departments can meet a state or city payroll deadline, all the better!” Senior Vice Chancellor Gloria added that CUNY can now offer faster “off-cycle” checks and pointed to ongoing technology improvements. She noted that she and her team are “very much involved in resolving employee paycheck issues when they arise.”
If you do not receive your first paycheck on-time, email the PSC Adjunct Grievance Counselor for your campus and contact your college HR/Payroll office to request an advance/emergency check.
PSC Members Testify Before the NYC City Council
Humanities as a Viable Academic Path for CUNY Students
A dozen PSC members testified as part of union panels or as individuals about the value of humanities education at a City Council hearing this past Wednesday. CUNY administrators and experts from the Teagle Foundation also testified at the hearing, which was sponsored by the Council’s Committee on Higher Education.
In her testimony, former PSC President Barbara Bowen said: “The humanities, as the academic area most explicitly dedicated to exploring life’s potential, are not just viable for CUNY students; they are vital. In a culture that aggressively seeks to strip many of our students of their humanity, humanistic study is a powerful act of self-preservation.” Video of the hearing is posted here. The first panel of PSC members, featuring Luke Waltzer (CUNY Graduate Center), Barbara Bowen (Queens College and the Graduate Center) and Remy Salas (BMCC) starts at the 1:25:38 timestamp.
NYC March to End Fossil Fuels
March with the PSC
The PSC is one of 500 international, national, and local organizations that have endorsed the September 17 March to End Fossil Fuels in New York City. We’re proud to join UFT, CWA, DC37 and many other labor unions in the coalition to press President Biden to declare a climate emergency and turbo-charge a just clean energy future. Click here to let us know you will march with the PSC contingent so the PSC Environmental Justice Working Group can follow up with you. We need you there!
PSC members will gather Sunday, September 17th 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 PM, marching south.
RSVP: 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, is offering an open enrollment from September 8, 2023 to October 13, 2023 — with an effective date of January 1, 2024. PSC members can learn more about the Catastrophe Major Medical Plan and an upcoming open enrollment opportunity by registering for one of several informational webinars hosted by NYSUT’s Member Benefits program during the enrollment period.
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.
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.
Published: September 8, 2023 | Last Modified: September 11, 2023
