Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced a proposal to provide free tuition at CUNY and SUNY schools for students with annual family incomes below $125,000. He made the announcement January 3 alongside Senator Bernie Sanders at LaGuardia Community College. Here is the PoliticoNY coverage and here is the news release and video from the Governor’s Office. President Bowen was at the event with members of the LaGuardia Community College PSC chapter. The union has released this statement to the press calling the proposal “a conceptual breakthrough” and arguing for an “equally visionary agenda for public higher education investment.” PSC Secretary Nivedita Majumdar explained the PSC’s position on WBAI (Jan. 4 Morning Show, time stamp 1:47:45). Editorials in the Daily News and the New York Times made similar points about the need for investment. Among early responses to the proposal (the Governor has released only a few details) are some that argue it leaves out too many students and doesn’t help the poorest students who already receive financial aid but still struggle.
Implementing the New Salary Assignment Differential for HEOs
Demonstrating their commitment and support for the new contract, scores of HEOs have stepped up to serve on new HEO labor-management committees on all campuses across CUNY. In all, the union needs to form 20 HEO labor-management committees (SPS will have its own) across CUNY. So far the PSC has filled positions on 16 (and 12 out of 16 of them have gone through our training). Committee members on each campus are reaching out to Human Resources to find out whom the college administration has appointed, and are scheduling preliminary meetings to discuss procedures. CUNY has sent an implementation memo to all college administrators, and recently the administration provided an application form for members to use when submitting an application to the HEO labor-management committee. The PSC expects many campuses to be ready to accept applications from members who are eligible for the differential early in the spring semester. Members are asked to read the instruction document that can be found here on the updated HEO Rights and Benefits page of the PSC website. (The page also has instruction documents for members wishing to apply for reclassification.) HEOs should also contact the PSC at [email protected] before submitting an application to the Office of Human Relations.
January Labor Goes to the Movies Rescheduled
Seven Samurai—Saturday, January 14
PSC’s film series will explore the theme “The Politics of Genre” with a special Saturday screening of Seven Samurai (Kurosawa, 1954) at 12 noon, January 14 in the PSC Union Hall (61 Broadway, 16th floor). Director Akira Kurosawa, a lifelong fan and “student” of John Ford, applies the “grammar of the Western” to medieval Japan in this samurai epic. Credited with originating the premise of a ragtag team of misfits joining together for a noble purpose, Seven Samurai has often been imitated (see The Magnificent Seven) but has never been equaled. Doors open at 12 noon. Lunch provided. There is a $2 suggested donation. Learn more.
PSC Chapter Elections Candidate Declaration Deadline—Jan. 6
Fourteen PSC chapters are scheduled to hold elections in the spring of 2017. They will elect chapter officers, delegates and alternates to the PSC Delegate Assembly, along with representatives to the PSC-CUNY Welfare Fund Advisory Council. Candidate Declaration forms are available at the PSC office and here on the PSC website. The deadline for filing the Candidate Declaration form is January 6, 2017. For more information and other deadlines, see the Notice of Nominations and Elections – Spring 2017 published in the latest Clarion. Click here for the election rules.
Visit the online calendar for locations and more information
Deadline for filling the Candidate Declaration, Jan 6
First Friday Committee Meeting, Jan 6, 4:00pm
Retirees Annual Winter Luncheon: The Living New Deal, Jan 9, 12:30pm
Environmental Justice Committee Meeting, Jan 9, 6:00pm
Safety Net Working Group Meeting, Jan 11, 1:00pm
Special Delegate Assembly on Mayoral Endorsement, Jan 12, 6:00pm
Labor Goes to the Movies Presents Seven Samurai, Jan 14, 12:00pm
