Tell Albany to Pass the Bill to Adequately Fund CUNY
CUNY Needs a Strong Maintenance of Effort
Legislators in Albany are once again considering Maintenance of Effort (MOE) legislation that would begin to reverse the State’s record of underfunding the CUNY senior colleges. MOE bills have been passed twice with overwhelming bi-partisan support, but were vetoed both times by the governor. But the political dynamics in New York are changing and there is a chance that the MOE bill could be passed again and signed into law.
Click here to send a letter to your representatives in Albany urging them to pass the MOE again. This version of the bill requires the State to fund CUNY’s inflationary operating costs, such as collective bargaining, energy and rent. It also provides reimbursement for a portion of the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) Credit, which currently leaves public colleges on the hook for financial aid that should come from the State.
Bargaining Session Today
PSC and management representatives met today for a third formal bargaining session, following a series of smaller bargaining subcommittee sessions this month. An update from the union bargaining team will be sent later this week. The session focused on PSC’s salary demand for a 5% increase across the board in each year of the new contract. The union presented sobering national and regional data on how CUNY salaries compare to those at peer institutions. PSC negotiators called on management to take a stand in this contract for restoring competitive salaries to CUNY.
2018 PSC Election Results
In April 2018, the PSC held elections are for the union’s principal officer positions of President, First Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer; for Vice Presidents for Senior Colleges, Community Colleges, Part-Time Personnel and Cross-Campus Units; and for the other 19 positions on the PSC Executive Council. Members also elected delegates to the AFT, NYSUT and AAUP. The Elections Committee certified the results of the 2018 PSC elections on Monday, May 7.
PSC President Barbara Bowen, Treasurer Sharon Persinger and Secretary Nivedita Majumdar were all re-elected. Andrea Ades Vásquez was elected to the position of PSC First Vice President. Full results of the election are posted here. The term of office starts on Monday, May 21.
Jr. Faculty Professional Development Day
Sixty tenure-track faculty members joined the union recently for the PSC’s annual Jr. Faculty Professional Development Day. It was a day of workshops and presentations from department chairs, grievance counselors, newly tenured faculty and union officers organized to help our colleagues navigate the tenure process and use the resources available at CUNY to support their scholarship. It’s critical that all untenured faculty understand their rights and benefits under the contract. If you weren’t able to attend the Jr. Faculty Professional Development Day, but would like to hear from the union about how your union colleagues can support you in the tenure process, contact Deidre Brill at [email protected].
TheaterWorks! Short Plays on Caregiving at CUNY—Tues., May 22
Join your CUNY colleagues for an evening of short plays written and performed by PSC members who are involved with the care of a family member. The featured plays were written in a playwriting workshop led by Working Theater’s Joe White as part of “The Labor of Care Archive: Caregiver Narratives from CUNY and its Communities,” organized by Kathy McDonald, on the faculty at City College. Free and open to the public, this event takes place Tues., May 22, 7 PM, in the Elebash Recital Hall at The Graduate Center. Click here for more information about the event and the participants.
