Contract Negotiations to Continue Through the Summer
The PSC bargaining team is aggressively pursuing contract negotiations throughout the summer. At the last bargaining session, the union presented comparative data on full-time faculty salaries regionally and nationally, revealing the lack of competitiveness of CUNY salaries. Upcoming sessions are expected to address the salary needs of the lowest-paid full-time faculty and staff positions and the urgent need to raise the minimum adjunct salary to $7K per course. Meanwhile, United University Professions (UUP), the faculty and staff union at the four-year SUNY colleges, reached a tentative agreement with New York State.
Tell the Legislature to Get to Work: CUNY Needs a Strong Maintenance of Effort
Maintenance of Effort (MOE) legislation requiring the State to fund CUNY’s inflationary operating costs was moving through the Legislature. But now activity in the State Senate has ground to a halt because the Republicans who control the house are down a member and don’t have the necessary 32 votes to pass legislation without Democratic help.
If you haven’t already, please send this letter urging passage of the MOE bill to your representatives in Albany. We need our lawmakers to pass the MOE when the partisan log jam breaks. Similar bills to fund CUNY’s cost increases for collective bargaining, energy and rent, have been passed with overwhelming bi-partisan support, but were vetoed by the governor. Tell the Legislature to get to work and pass this version too. Then we’ll all get to work urging the governor to sign it!
CUNY Has a New Interim Chancellor
Vita C. Rabinowitz was Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost at CUNY before June 1 when she took over as Interim Chancellor. Here is her bio and here is her introductory message in CUNY Matters.
That’s Solidarity!
In his valedictory address at the Bronx Community College graduation this past weekend Alixan Ducreay spoke up for CUNY’s adjunct faculty. “Remember them in your advocacy, in your resistance,” he said. Watch his speech.
Tell Albany to Fix Teacher Education Program Admission Criteria
Click here to send an e-fax to your legislators urging them to support bills to amend the state’s teacher training law to expand the 3.0 grade point average (GPA) requirement for admission into graduate-level teacher and educational leader programs to include alternative criteria. Many capable individuals, including English language learners and individuals who change careers who may not have attained a 3.0 at the undergraduate level, would be able to meet rigorous graduate program completion standards if given an opportunity. The existing statute unnecessarily blocks their entry to graduate education programs at a time when NY is facing a teacher shortage and working to expand the applicant pool for graduate-level teacher and educational leader programs.
