New Bargaining Dates Set
The PSC and CUNY management have agreed to three new bargaining dates:
- Friday, Jan 26, 2:30 – 5 PM (observers must attend from 2-5:30 PM), Location: PSC Office, 25 Broadway
- Wednesday, Feb 7, 1 – 5 PM (observers must attend from 12:30-5:30 PM), Location: CUNY Central Office, 205 E 42nd St
- Thursday, Feb 29, 1 – 5 PM (observers must attend from 12:30-5:30 PM), Location: PSC Office, 25 Broadway
These are the first new bargaining dates since October. Members who have already participated in the Orientation to PSC-CUNY Bargaining should watch for emails from the Bargaining Team inviting them to observe. All bargaining sessions are fully in person.
Want to Observe Contract Negotiations?
The first step is to attend an Orientation to PSC-CUNY Bargaining on Zoom.
All dues-paying PSC members are welcome to observe a bargaining session, space permitting, after completing an online Orientation to PSC-CUNY Bargaining. The next orientations will be:
- Tuesday, January 23, 6:30-7:30pm. Click here to register for the 1/23 Zoom.
- Wednesday, Feb 14, 1:00-2:00pm. Click here to register for the 2/14 Zoom.
- Monday, March 4, 6:30-7:30pm. Click here to register for the 3/4 Zoom.
Opposing New Budget Cuts at Nine CUNY Colleges
Message to Affected Colleges
The following message from PSC President James Davis was sent January 9 to PSC members at BMCC, Brooklyn College, College of Staten Island, John Jay College, Kingsborough CC, New York City College of Technology, Queens College, School of Professional Studies and York College.
As you may know, your campus was recently identified as one of nine “colleges of concern” by the CUNY administration. This means your college has been tasked with making additional cuts to its Fiscal Year 2024 budget, above and beyond those already demanded, in order to help save the university $128 million this year, with additional cuts planned for Fiscal Year 2025. Class cancellations and adjunct layoffs, reductions to course offerings and increased enrollment caps, non-replacement of vacant staff positions, cuts to temporary staff and OTPS budgets – these are the cuts we are hearing about so far. The PSC principal officers met last week with the chapter chairs from affected colleges. These colleges are each alleged to have a “structural deficit” of 5% or greater, insufficient reserves, and an enrollment projection that fails to keep pace with revenue needs. Read the full message.
Take Action
The PSC’s position on the latest cuts is clear: the CUNY administration should reverse the new cuts, use all available federal stimulus funds to close the immediate budget gaps, eliminate the central Vacancy Review Board and thaw the hiring freeze, and resubmit a budget request to Albany and City Hall that meets the actual needs of CUNY students, faculty, and staff. To that end, we’re urging PSC members to:
• Tell your PSC chapter chair how these punitive budget cuts prevent your department, program, or office from meeting students’ needs and those of the faculty and staff.
• Tell your college president to advocate publicly and forcefully for new state and city funding.
• Read and share this op-ed written by Jerry Markowitz, PSC delegate and Distinguished Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and History at John Jay College and The Graduate Center: AMNY | Stop putting CUNY on the chopping block.
• Record a brief video for social media about how your college changes students’ lives, and how funding cuts continue to undermine the important work you and your colleagues do. You can post the video yourself using the hashtags #NewDeal4CUNY, #CareNotCuts and #APeoplesCUNY, or you can email Organizing Director Rico Doan at [email protected] and we’ll dispatch a staff organizer to collect a cell phone video of your statement.
• Attend a PSC press conference about these harmful new cuts on Friday, January 19, at 10 AM at Borough of Manhattan Community College. RSVP here for the press conference.
• Participate in the PSC’s budget campaign to drive additional operating aid from the state and city into our colleges without raising student tuition. The next opportunity to get involved is the NYSUT Higher Education Lobby Day on Monday-Tuesday, February 5-6. Contact PSC Legislative Coordinator Tiffany Brown at [email protected] to sign up and for more information. The deadline to sign up is Wednesday, January 17th, so please contact Tiffany ASAP.
PSC Files Amicus Brief Supporting Retirees’ Right to Medicare
The PSC has filed a motion to submit a friend of the court brief in support of an injunction against an effort by the City of New York to force City retirees out of traditional Medicare into a privatized “Medicare Advantage” plan.
“The PSC is committed to holding the City to its promise to provide workers with not-for-profit, Medicare-based healthcare coverage in retirement. We believe Justice Frank’s ruling should stand and that the solution to increasing municipal healthcare costs must not be for the City to break faith with retirees or pass costs on to in-service workers,” said PSC President James Davis when the brief was announced. Read the news release and the brief.
Fight for CUNY, Become a CUNY Rising Alliance Campus Liaison
The CUNY Rising Alliance Liaison Program is currently accepting applications for the Spring 2024 semester. The liaison program, funded by the AFT’s Powerful Partnership Institute, the PSC and NorthStar Fund is looking for 10-12 students and 5-8 faculty or staff who will work in teams, helping to build the CUNY Rising Alliance through specific project areas such as communications, coalition building, base building, and legislative advocacy. Join the fight for a free and fully funded university by applying for one of these stipended positions. The deadline to apply is Thursday, January 18th. Apply here.
Vaccination Coverage
Since the Covid Public Health Emergency expired last May, some PSC members have been getting mixed messages from providers about insurance coverage for vaccinations. The PSC-CUNY Welfare Fund has posted clarifying information here on their website homepage under the tab labeled “RSV/Covid: Protect Yourself”. In short, active full-time CUNY employees, adjuncts who are eligible for health insurance through the NYC Health Benefits Program, and retirees under age 65 should present their basic health care card (i.e. the GHI or HIP card) when getting a vaccine for Covid, Flu, Pneumonia, and, if you’re over 60 or medically eligible, RSV. If you are 65 or older you should present your Medicare card for Covid, Flu, and Pneumonia vaccines and your Silverscripts card for RSV and other vaccines. For graduate workers insured by NYSHIP, select vaccines, including Covid, Flu and RSV, are covered without copayment at a pharmacy participating in the CVS Caremark national vaccine network (See page 19 of the Student Employee Health Plan guide for more info and how to find a pharmacy).
Labor Walk for Tom Suozzi
Saturday, January 13, 10:00AM: Join the NYC & LI Labor Movement to support Labor’s Candidate for the Special Election in the 3rd Congressional District – Tom Suozzi. Union members will knock the doors of fellow members to get out the vote for Suozzi. RSVP for more information.
Published: January 11, 2024 | Last Modified: January 12, 2024
