Get Involved | Stay Connected
PSC chapter and committee meetings are scheduled throughout September and October. Check the union’s calendar for meetings where you can hear updates on the contract and join local and union-wide issue campaigns. Stay connected with the PSC on Facebook and Twitter, and watch out for the new issue of Clarion, the union newspaper, arriving on campus this week.
Contract Talks Continue
The PSC bargaining team has been in talks with management almost daily all month. Union negotiators continue to say that they are close to reaching agreement but that an ambitious contract such as the one the PSC is fighting for is complicated to resolve. Stay tuned for further updates from the bargaining team, and see the new Clarion for a reminder on how the union’s democratic ratification process works.
New Full-time Employees have 30 Days to Choose a Pension
New York State law mandates participation in a retirement system for full-time members of the instructional staff (HEOs, CLTs, and faculty). New faculty and staff in full-time positions have 30 days from the date of appointment to choose a retirement program, and the choice is irrevocable. Full-time faculty and staff can choose between the New York City Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) and the Optional Retirement Program (ORP). If a choice is not made within 30 days, the law mandates that you be assigned to TRS. The choice between TRS and ORP is about choosing a defined benefit plan or a defined contribution plan. Learn more about the permanent pension choice for full-time faculty and staff. Information about adjunct pensions is posted here. Above all, pay attention to your pay stub to be sure that correct pension deductions appear, after you have joined.
New to CUNY? Sign the PSC membership card!
Membership in the Professional Staff Congress is not automatic for people newly hired at CUNY. By signing a PSC membership card you ensure that our union has the resources to protect our rights at work and to fight for better pay and benefits, improved working conditions and quality education for CUNY students. PSC membership also gains you the right to vote in union elections and gives you access to certain member benefits and discounts. Find more information and a link to a secure online membership card at psc-cuny.org/join-psc.
Student Walkout for Climate Change—Fri., Sept. 20
Meet-up Location for Available PSC Members Who Can March with Students
The PSC has endorsed the global school walkout for climate change on Friday, September 20 and urges union members to support the movement in ways that do not interfere with the fulfillment of their normal work responsibilities. In New York, participants will gather at Foley Square at 12 noon on the 20th, and then march to Battery Park at 1 PM for a rally featuring Greta Thunberg and local youth leaders. The PSC’s Environmental Justice Working Group and other PSC members will meet to join the march at 11:45 at the southwest corner of Worth and Lafayette Streets. We will be carrying red PSC signs. The rally at Battery Park will run from 2:30 – 5:00 PM.
Labor Goes to the Movies Presents Wag the Dog—Fri., Sept. 13
“Laughing Matters” is the theme of this year’s Labor Goes to the Movies film series. With seven films and a selection of clips from popular news parody shows, the series will assess cinema comedy in relation to social critique. We begin with Wag the Dog (Levinson, US, 1997), a comedy about political spin-doctors and a Presidential sex scandal that is more timely now than ever. The film will be shown in the PSC Union Hall, 61 Broadway, 16th floor, this Friday, September 13. Doors open at 6:00 PM. Suggested donation of $4. Light refreshments served. Watch the trailer.
