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Keep the pressure on; City budget for CUNY not yet decided
Mayor Bloomberg has called for punishing cuts to CUNY—on top of the State budget cuts already hurting the colleges. PSC members and leaders are pressing the City Council, which has restored CUNY funds in the past, to do the right thing again this year. You can be part of the pressure, even if you are on your way out of town for annual leave. Send an Act Now letter to the City Council today—the Council counts messages when deciding where to restore artificially scarce funds.
The PSC has been making a strong case for CUNY as a priority: Arthurine DeSola, secretary of the PSC, spoke alongside Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez last Friday morning at a rally on the steps of City Hall; our Bronx and Queensborough Community College PSC chapters distributed thousands of “diplomas” at Commencement calling on students to press legislators for more funds; and today PSC President Barbara Bowen is testifying at both the City Council’s public budget hearing and at the People’s Hearing sponsored by the PSC and our partners in the Beyond May 12 coalition.
Save our schools! Make a call to stop Albany’s tax cap disaster.
The New York Times called Albany’s property tax cap plan a “cheap political tool…that will only further devastate communities.” Despite the Times editorial and dire warnings from teachers, parents and school districts across the state, the Assembly has introduced a tax cap bill similar to flawed legislation that was passed by the Senate in March and is supported by the Governor. If passed in its current form, Albany’s tax cap legislation would lead to the elimination of needed programs, more overcrowded classrooms, and thousands of additional teacher layoffs. New York’s economy would be hobbled by the huge loss of jobs, and the impact on municipalities would also cripple many of New York State’s community colleges.
Please dial 1-877-255-9417 to be connected directly to the Governor’s office and to your representatives in the Assembly and the Senate. Urge them to say “no” to the tax cap bills, A-7916 and S-2706. Your friends, family and neighbors can make the call as well. We need every bit of help you can muster.
Legislation Committee meeting rescheduled for Tuesday, June 28.
Please disregard the Legislation Committee calendar item in the Clarion. This week’s meeting is canceled. The next meeting will take place at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 28 at the PSC office, 61 Broadway, 15th floor. Contact Kate Pfordresher for more info.
Congratulations to Clarion and our website team
The PSC won a total of seven prizes, including first places for best reporting, best editorial and best website in this year’s annual contest sponsored by Metro New York Labor Communication Council. Clarion Associate Editor John Tarleton won first place for best reporting for his coverage of a building renovation project (“City Tech Renovation Goes Awry”) that endangered the health of hundreds of faculty, staff and students at the school. PSC First Vice President Steve London took best editorial for “PHEEIA Robs Us All,” a piece that explained how legislation to deregulate SUNY and CUNY was a product of business special interests and would do great harm to public higher education in the State of New York. The PSC’s new website also shared a first place for general excellence. The awards will be presented on June 17.
PSC President Barbara Bowen will join Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) Program Director Janine Jackson on a panel entitled “Framing the Public Sector” at the Annual Metro New York Labor Communications Council Convention this Friday, June 17. Register now at this link, or register at the door beginning at 9:30 a.m. The above panel (“Framing…”) starts at 10:00 a.m. CUNY professor Frances Fox Piven will be honored at 12:30 p.m. and the conference will conclude with Metro’s labor communications awards ceremony at 1:30pm. Download a flyer.
Read any good kids’ books lately?
We’ve started a list of union-focused and progressive children’s books on our new Facebook page. If you’re a Facebook-using parent or grandparent with a book (or books) to recommend, please “like” the page and join the discussion. Email PSC Communications Coordinator Fran Clark if you’re not on Facebook and you have a book you want to add to the list.
Take our latest poll
We’ve posted a new poll on the website: We would like to know if you think the issue of transfer should be coupled with CUNY’s general education requirements. Answer the question on the left side of homepage and feel free to leave a comment.
