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Photo credit: Pat
Arnow
Click the
"Act Now" logo above to send a
letter to your NYS legislators, adding
your
voice to the call for a “rational
investment” in public higher education.
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BUDGET CAMPAIGN: 2010-11 .
Find out what's new,
what's next and
what we can do.
LEGISLATIVE
PRIORITIES.
The Delegate
Assembly set
2009/10
legislative
priorities for
the PSC at its
September 24th
meeting.
Details.
◄MARCH 9th
LOBBYING BLITZ.
Hundreds of
students and
faculty from
CUNY and SUNY
converged on
Albany on
Tuesday to lobby
against higher
education budget cuts.
Details.
◄D.A.
RESOLUTION ON
THE BUDGET CUTS.
On Thursday,
January 28th,
the Delegate
Assembly passed
a resolution
calling on
the New York
State
Legislature to
reject the
governor’s
proposed budget
cuts for CUNY,
to support the
PSC’s proposal
to the
Legislature to
make a modest
start this year
on restoration
of funds cut in
the past two
years, to reject
the central,
privatizing
structure of the
Public Higher
Education
Empowerment and
Innovation Act,
and to accept
instead the
PSC’s proposal
to start now on
a long-term
strategy for
rational
investment
by the State in
its public
university
systems.
Click
here
for the
resolution.
PSC vICTORY ON
TIER V.
The thousands of
messages PSC
members sent to
Albany worked!
CUNY faculty
and staff
represented by
the PSC are
not included
in the lower
pension tier
passed Wednesday
(12/2) in
Albany. This is
a real victory
for the PSC—and
for the power
and funds PSC
members put
behind our
political work.
Details.
PSC BEATS
BACK WORST OF
CUNY CUTS.
The PSC, with
our state-wide
affiliate NYSUT,
defeated the
worst of
Governor David
Paterson’s
proposed
mid-year budget
reductions to
CUNY last week,
but Albany did
enact
significant
reductions. In
good news for
our students,
TAP cuts were
defeated
entirely.
Details.
PSC ENDORSED
CANDIDATES AND
THE 11/3
ELECTION: The
PSC endorsed 53
candidates in
the general
election on
November 3rd.
All but eight
won. One of
those who lost,
Bill Thompson,
was defeated by
50,000 votes in
a mayoral race
in which polls
predicted a
landslide
victory for
Michael
Bloomberg.
Go to the
PSC-PAC website
for a a full
list of endorsed
candidates and
results.
AFT Urges Changes to Student Aid Bill – Add Your Voice!
Urge your Senator to support the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, a reconciliation bill that will make college more affordable and accessible by increasing the maximum Pell Grant, making it easier to apply for financial aid and strengthening the Perkins Loan program, among other changes. The House of Representatives passed the bill in September and it now awaits Senate approval. Also encourage your Senator to include language in the final legislation that addresses academic staffing inequities, permits program money to be used to create additional full-time faculty positions and provide equitable compensation to contingent faculty. Click here
to participate in the AFT’s Senate Letter Writing campaign.
UNEMPLOYMENT
BILL FOR
ADJUNCTS.
This past April
and May, the PSC
turned its
legislative
focus to passing
S. 4123 and
A-613-A, state
senate and
assembly bills
that would
ensure
contingent
faculty’s access
to unemployment
insurance.
Because
part-timers have
no guarantee of
being rehired
for the
following
semester once a
course ends,
they are similar
to other workers
(in construction
and the
entertainment
trades, for
example) whose
employment is
episodic and who
receive
unemployment
benefits when
they are not
working and
otherwise
eligible – and
adjuncts should
receive the same
benefits.
As June began,
the legislature
entered a
prolonged period
of gridlock,
with a dispute
over control of
the State Senate
that took weeks
to resolve. But
the union used
this time to
continue
organizing
visits to
lawmakers in
their local
district
offices, urging
the legislature
to remove the
unfair
restrictions
that limit
part-time
faculty from
collecting
unemployment
insurance (UI).
PSC activists
met with State
Senators Martin
Malave Dilan,
Bill Perkins and
Diane Savino,
and
Assemblymembers
Deborah Glick
and José
Peralta. Glick
is chair of the
Assembly’s
committee on
higher
education, while
Savino chairs
the Senate’s
committee on
civil service.
The UI reform
bill is a
priority for the
PSC’s state
affiliate, New
York State
United Teachers
(NYSUT). NYSUT
and the PSC want
parttime faculty
to be treated
similarly to
other seasonal
workers, such as
those in the
resort or
construction
industries.
After the State
Senate finally
resolved its
internal
struggle in
July, it passed
a limited number
of bills and
then adjourned.
But UI reform
may still get
action this
session.
The New York
State AFL-CIO is
leading
statewide
efforts in
support of broad
UI reform,
including
increasing the
maximum benefit.
Because of New
York’s high
unemployment
rate, a
comprehensive UI
reform package –
including equity
for adjuncts –
could come to a
vote this fall.
Click
here
to send an "Act
Now" letter to
your state
legislators
urging passage
and
here
for
more information.
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