Contract Bargaining Update from President Bowen
Collective bargaining for a new PSC contract began in earnest last Friday, June 20th. The negotiating teams for the union and CUNY management met for about three hours, and made a good start on what promise to be intense negotiations during the summer. The sides exchanged demands and discussed ground rules for further sessions. One thing established immediately was that the union has the right to bring observers and faculty/staff experts to future bargaining sessions. Read the full update.
Adjunct Health Insurance
The current program of health insurance for adjuncts provided through the PSC-CUNY Welfare Fund will be extended through September 30, 2014. Adjuncts who participate in the program received a message from PSC President Barbara Bowen informing them of the extension.
City Budget Announcement
Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Mark-Viverito have announced an agreement on a $75 billion City budget for fiscal year 2015 that will put 200 more police officers on the street and provide free lunch to all middle school students. The Council’s news release about the budget deal confirms that the budget will include $11.1 million for a merit-based Scholarship program benefiting NYC high school graduates who maintain at least a B average at CUNY. Many other details of the budget agreement have not been released yet. The PSC will share other information about CUNY’s budget on the union website (psc-cuny.org) when it becomes available. The Council will vote on the deal by the end of the month.
Confronting NYC’s Retirement Crisis
PSC President Barbara Bowen joined elected officials, economists, and other labor leaders last week at #RetireNYC, a conference examining New York City’s retirement security crisis. The event, sponsored by New York City Central Labor Council and the New School’s Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis, was organized as part of a campaign to ensure retirement security for all New Yorkers. New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, and New York City Public Advocate Letitia James all spoke, as did New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento. Economist James Parrot, of the Fiscal Policy Institute, provided analysis, and President Bowen served on a panel with experts from AFL-CIO and SEIU. Click here for videos of the entire conference and here for a release about the event from the Central Labor Council.
