Taking Over Albany | Health Plan Implementation

PSC leaders and healthcare experts are continuing to monitor the rollout of the New York City Employee PPO Plan (NYCE PPO), the new health benefits plan for active employees, pre-Medicare retirees, and their dependents that took effect January 1st of this year.

• PSC members can submit questions about the new plan via this form on the PSC website.

Last Friday, PSC President James Davis wrote to NYC Labor Commissioner Renee Campion to inform her that the materials distributed to NYCE PPO participants “omit significant and essential information needed for participants to understand their benefits and rights.” Click here to read the letter, which identifies misleading information about preauthorization procedures, a failure to fully inform participants of their right to appeal denied claims, and a deficiency in guidance to participants for estimating out-of-network costs. The letter reiterates the PSC’s demand that the City release an unredacted version of the NYCE PPO contract. Without full disclosure of the agreement we cannot know how the new health care program will meet its savings targets or what will happen to participants’ coverage if the plan fails to achieve the expected savings.

A series of contractual raises negotiated by our union for specific job titles is going into effect this year. These raises exceed the across-the-board annual negotiated increases in an effort to improve equity and make gains for nearly 15,000 workers in CUNY’s lowest paid faculty and professional staff titles, and they began with an increase last month to the teaching adjunct hourly rates. Read the update in last week’s newsletter if you missed it.

Days after a massive blizzard, thousands of New Yorkers took the day off work last Wednesday to take over Albany and demand higher taxes on corporations and the rich. More than 100 PSC members were there rallying with Our Time and a coalition of labor and community groups, marching to the Capitol, and converging inside the Legislative Office Building to flyer and lobby elected officials and ensure that we can fund a more affordable New York. Check out the Instagram accounts of the PSC and Our Time for photos and videos of the day’s action. Read more coverage in the Clarion Online article posted here and previewed below.

Email your legislators now using this Our Time action letter calling on Albany to fund free, universal child care and raise taxes on corporations and the rich.

While thousands rallied in the armory, more than 300 students, faculty, and staff from CUNY and SUNY gathered with legislators inside the state Capitol to support a platform of increased funding for New York’s public university systems, broader access to free tuition, more financial aid, and higher taxes on corporations and the rich to help sustain those investments. A coalition of student organizations, community groups, and academic unions, including the PSC, held the rally to kick off the annual Higher Education Action Day before meeting with 100 legislators.

PSC First Vice President Jen Gaboury spoke at the Higher Education Action Day, emphasizing the importance of CUNY to New York and calling on Governor Hochul and legislature to tax the rich. Click here to see video of her speech and here to read more about the event.

PSC President Davis testified in Albany last week about the need for a fully funded CUNY system at a joint NY State Senate and Assembly budget hearing. You can read President Davis’s testimony here or watch a video here, and then do your part to support the statewide student, faculty, staff platform for higher education by sending two letters to your state legislators!

Send the letter

Send the letter

Last Thursday, federal agents lied their way into a Columbia University dorm to seize a student named Elmina Aghayeva. They had no warrant and falsely claimed to be NYPD looking for a missing child. More than 100 Columbia students and local residents immediately demonstrated and Aghayeva was freed quickly thanks to a direct appeal from Mayor Mamdani, who happened to be meeting with President Trump the same day. The situation nonetheless underscores the lengths that DHS and ICE will go to carry out their program of mass deportation.

Sign up here to get involved with the PSC’s Immigrant Solidarity campus and community work.

More than 350 members and allies have now been trained to participate with the PSC in supporting immigrants in the courtrooms. With an average of 15 – 25 people attending each week, we have made more than 850 discrete visits since May. Please join with fellow PSC members to bear witness and support immigrants who are called to the courts at 26 Federal Plaza. Spanish speakers are especially helpful. Meet any Friday at 7:30 AM at 319 Broadway, across the street from 26 Federal Plaza. PSC training is required to participate and a refresher is strongly recommended if you were trained more than two months ago. The next zoom training will be held on Thursday, March, 19th at 6:30PM. RSVP here.

Tuesday, March 3, 2:30 – 4:30

In addition to hearing from CSI chapter leaders and PSC Secretary Andrea Vásquez, guests include:

Zulma Cruz, Area Director for Project Hospitality’s Community Initiatives Division. She brings to this organization over thirty five years of advocacy and activism experience that complements and enhances the community work being done at PH Help Centers.

Rev. Hank Tuell, Rector of St. John’s Church and a member of the Episcopal Diocese sanctuary committee, called to support individuals and families impacted by ICE by coordinating compassionate, collaborative responses among faith and community partners.

Maribel Espinosa-Hernandez, CSI graduate, is a public servant and workforce development professional dedicated to advancing opportunity for immigrant and multilingual communities. She has worked across government and higher education to strengthen partnerships and expand access to essential programs. Guided by her own immigrant journey, she is passionate about equity, mentorship, and community impact.

PSC/CUNY supports the SJU-AAUP chapter at St. John’s University and condemns their administration’s outrageous attempt to undermine the union and its collective bargaining agreement. President Brian Shanley may not unilaterally refuse to recognize the 56-year strong union when he deems it inconvenient. Rather than pay to retain a high priced, union busting law firm, the administration should return to the bargaining table to negotiate in good faith with the union whose members have been working 240 days without a contract.

Read more on the New York Central Labor Council website and click here to sign a petition demanding that President Shanley return to the bargaining table.

Dues paying PSC members can access free services and discounts provided by our state and national affiliates, New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), the National Education Association (NEA), and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

NYSUT’s Member Benefits program endorses several long-term care insurance products that are available at a discount only to dues-paying members of the PSC and other NYSUT-affiliated unions. Half of men and more than 60 percent of women will eventually need significant long-term care as they age, but Medicare does not cover long-term care. The uninsured costs of ensuring safety and support and managing the ongoing illnesses and disabilities that come with advancing age often exhaust savings and family assets. This is a rare offer and important offer made possible only by our union. Click here to learn more, request a quote, and read testimonials from other union educators.

Our union’s Committee for Adjuncts and Part-Timers is building a clearer picture of the roles, work, and priorities of PSC members in part-time titles. Your responses are essential to us to get a better understanding of who we represent and will help build our organizing strength as we move towards the next contract campaign. The survey takes 6 minutes to complete. All responses are confidential and reported only in aggregate. You can skip any question. Take the survey now by following this link.

Take the Adjunct Survey

In response to the Trump administration’s escalated, violent attacks on residents of Minnesota and nationwide, the No Kings Coalition has called for our next non-violent mass mobilization on March 28. When our families are under attack and costs are pushing people to the brink, silence is not an option. We will defend ourselves, our neighbors and our communities against this administration’s unjust and cruel acts of violence; history shows that authoritarianism is vulnerable to mass public mobilizations.

Marchers will gather on Central Park South and will step off at 2 PM heading south in two streams down Broadway and 7th Avenue before converging at Times Square and continuing on to end at 34th Street.

The orientation of unions within the march and the meet up location for PSC members are still to be determined. Register here to tell us you plan to march with the PSC at the next No Kings.

RSVP: No Kings!