Dear Colleagues,
Welcome back to Fall semester! We hope you had a restorative summer with fulfilling activities and meaningful moments. As we make the transition to the new academic year, we write to share union developments on several fronts.
The PSC bargaining team has been working hard this summer. Our contract expired on February 28, and CUNY management finally agreed to begin negotiations at the end of Spring semester. We have been full speed ahead since the first session on June 27. We hope you have followed our progress in This Week in the PSC emails and on the union website. We encourage all PSC members to engage in the contract campaign. We have an important bargaining agenda for #APeoplesCUNY, based on PSC member input. CUNY management has shared their austerity driven, retrograde proposals as well – see our latest bargaining update, here. We urge you to compare the two: the contrast between their vision for CUNY and ours could not be more striking – it will take all of us to win. You can join your Campus Action Team, sign up to attend a bargaining session, and mark your calendars for an online PSC Town Hall on the contract, September 28 at 6:30 pm.
A strong contract campaign begins with a strong, engaged membership. The PSC Organizing Department spearheaded a successful membership campaign this summer by partnering with PSC member-activists on our campuses. If you’re one of those new members, welcome! In addition to regular chapter meetings, the PSC invites your participation in our many active committees on issues that matter to our members and to the labor movement, and in our coalition work with the CUNY Rising Alliance. At CUNY, we have definitely #GotUnion. You can also follow the PSC on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
We have been closely monitoring the retiree healthcare struggle this summer. The City was prevented by the NY State Supreme Court from implementing the proposed Aetna Medicare Advantage plan. But they’re appealing the ruling, and the litigation could take several months. In the meantime, there will be no changes to retiree health insurance. Negotiations continue between the City and the Municipal Labor Committee for a successor to the Emblem/GHI comprehensive benefits plan in which most active CUNY employees are enrolled. The earliest that a new plan for active members would take effect is July 2024.
The PSC will celebrate Labor Day 2023 on Saturday, September 9, by joining our union siblings in the annual parade on 5th Avenue. Let us know you’ll be there! Bring your colleagues, friends, and family, and show NYC that we are #UnionStrong! Also keep an eye out for PSC Union Week, coming September 18-22; we’ll be sporting PSC swag and wearing #Red4HigherEd to show our solidarity and collective strength.
We wish you well as you meet the challenges of the academic year and embrace its opportunities. We’re focused on winning a great contract with the raises, benefits, job security, academic supports, and health and safety provisions we all deserve, and we look forward to visiting your chapter to talk about how we will get there together.
In solidarity,
James Davis, President
Andrea Vásquez, First Vice President
Felicia Wharton, Treasurer
Penny Lewis, Secretary
Published: August 25, 2023 | Last Modified: August 27, 2023
