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Union Files Lawsuit Against Pathways Larıon Cnewspaper of the Professional Staff Congress / City University of New York April 2012 Details on Page 7 ● Union files lawsuit against Pathways larıon CNEWSPAPER OF THE PROFESSIONAL STAFF CONGRESS / CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK APRIL 2012 Details on page 7. noT aCademiC Wal-Mart, Exxon and...Elsevier? The American Legislative Exchange Council works behind the scenes for right-wing state legislation. Few know that the academic publishing company Elsevier is a leading member. PAGE 11 anders, Pat Arnow, Pat Arnow, Pat Arnow, Pat Arnow FaCulTy righTs S ave D Under attack at the New Community College anders, Pat Arnow, S Five months before the school is slat- ave D ed to open its doors, the majority of the New Community College’s origi- anders, S nal founding faculty have resigned ave D or been fired. PAGE 4 Photos clockwise from top left: SPEAKING OUT Tier 6 VS. PATHWAYS Pension deal harms Opposition to Pathways has mushroomed across CUNY this semester. As Clarion went to press, a petition future CUNY workers calling for Pathways to be repealed and replaced had drawn more than 4,100 signatures – and the number Albany approved a new pension tier was still climbing. On March 8, nearly 350 faculty, staff and students gathered for a Town Hall Meeting on for future public employees that makes Pathways organized by the PSC. Shown above (clockwise from top left) are Nicole Falade, City Tech; Alex it harder to attract top-notch talent to Wolf, BCC; Stephen Jablonsky, CCNY; Amir Khafagy, student at LaGuardia; Nivedita Majumdar, John Jay; CUNY. The new Tier 6 is especially Hollis Glaser, BMCC; Glenn Petersen, Baruch; Kelly Anderson, Hunter. PAGES 6-9, 16 bad news for part-timers. PAGE 2 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS ● AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS ● N.Y.C. CENTRAL LABOR COUNCIL ● N.Y.S. AFL-CIO ● NEW YORK STATE UNITED TEACHERS 2 News & LLettersetters Clarion | April 2012 If you’ve just Harsh new pension law approved joined TRS... By PETER HOGNESS campaign to urge adjunct members Adjuncts who signed up to join TRS Tier 6 slams future workers to sign up before April 1. shortly before April 1, but who have The final text of Gov. Andrew Cuo- The union first sounded the alarm not yet submitted a beneficiary form, mo’s bill to slash public worker pen- laborers to put up and shut up.” ees or current members of a pension for adjuncts last fall, with articles proof of date of birth (copy of birth sions was posted online on March Corporate interests, on the other plan cannot be reduced. Full-time on Gov. Cuomo’s proposed pension certificate or passport), and their 15 – at 3:00 in the morning. Around hand, were very pleased. “The busi- employees at CUNY are required to reductions. “If you are not already letter of appointment, must not miss 5:30 am, the voting began. More ness community is encouraged that join a pension system within 30 days a TRS member, sign up immediately the April 30 deadline for those docu- than two hours later, after enough New York State is acting responsi- of being hired, so current full-timers so you can lock in current pension ments. If you do, your TRS enrollment arms were twisted, the bill passed bly,” said Kathryn Wylde, head of at CUNY will not have their benefits terms,” an article in the November will not take effect. (See psc-cuny.org/ by a vote of 93 to 45. the Partnership for New York City, cut. Full-time CUNY employees hired Clarion advised adjunct members. TRS-April-30-documents for more.) “All of this, of course, happened in which describes itself as “a select after April 1 will fall under the When Tier 6 was ap - the dead of night while most people group of 200 CEOs from New York new, inferior terms of Tier 6. Adjuncts proved in mid-March, the were fast asleep,” wrote Rick Karlin City’s top corporate, investment Cutting pensions for new will be PSC spread the word with CUNY for over a dozen years. “I of the Albany Times Union. “This is, and entrepreneurial firms.” Multi- hires “will hurt CUNY’s abil- renewed urgency. By post- got my stamped receipt on the spot, ironically, Sunshine Week, which is million-dollar pensions are common ity to rebuild the full-time especially card, by e-mail and in per- proof of the date of my enrollment.” supposed to be a celebration of open- among the Partnership’s members. faculty, a project that was just hard-hit. son, union staff and adjunct Perhaps the worst thing about ness in government. “ gaining momentum,” noted activists put out alerts. The Tier 6 for CUNY adjuncts is that it “The passage of Tier 6 had every- ImpACT ON CUNY Bowen. goal was to encourage as many un- increases the vesting period – the thing to do with political ambition “Tier 6 will hit CUNY especially For adjuncts, membership in a enrolled members as possible to period needed to qualify for a pen- and an ideological agenda of pro- hard,” said Bowen. “It’s disastrous pension plan is optional. Since ma- fill out the necessary forms before sion – from five to ten years of total tecting the rich,” said PSC President for part-timers, and will make it ny survive on low pay, it’s common April 1, and hand-deliver them to credited service. Since it takes ad- Barbara Bowen. “It had nothing to harder for the University to attract for adjuncts to put off joining the TRS headquarters on Water Street, juncts longer to build up a full year do with solving New York State’s im- the best full-time faculty and staff in Teachers Retirement System (TRS), to ensure timely processing. “It was of credited service, CUNY adjuncts mediate budget shortfall.” No signifi- national searches.” which is adjuncts’ sole pension op- well worth the trip,” said Shirley who want to join TRS in the future cant savings will occur for more than Under New York’s constitution, tion. With Tier 6 set to take effect Frank, an adjunct assistant profes- will not qualify for benefits until they a decade. Like other unions, the PSC pension benefits for current retir- April 1, the PSC quickly launched a sor of English who has worked at have worked for CUNY for 20 years or pointed out more money could have more. “This effectively means an end been raised, and far sooner, through to new pensions for CUNY adjuncts,” progressive tax reform. said PSC First Vice President Steve “Women and people of color have London. “To shut down new pensions long relied on public employment for the faculty who teach half of all when employment in the private sec- CUNY classes is outrageous – but tor was closed to them,” Bowen said. that’s what Albany has done.” “As an attack on the pay and retire- ment security of public employees, CONSEQUENCES Tier 6 is racist and sexist.” London noted that few legislators “Those who chose this path are had read the final text of the bill requiring the 99% to pay for the sins before voting at dawn on March 15. of the 1%,” said Richard Iannuzzi, “It’s hard to believe that the governor president of New York State United and legislature would be so heartless Teachers (NYSUT), the PSC’s state that they intended this to happen,” he affiliate. Danny Donohue, head of said. “We’ve begun to discuss repair- the Civil Service Employees Asso- ing some of the consequences of this agalhaes ciation (CSEA), agreed: “This deal is M legislation, and we hope that people in about politicians standing with...the Albany will be open to reason.” wealthiest New Yorkers to give them Amanda Among the other key Tier 6 chang- a better break while telling nurses, From left: David Rozen, legislative counsel to State Sen. Michael Gianaris, meeting with Eileen Moran, Iris DeLutro, Arthurine es for those who join TRS after April 1, bus drivers, teachers, secretaries and DeSola and Ron Hayduk of the PSC. Sen. Gianaris opposed the Tier 6 proposal. are calculating final average sal- ary over the last five years instead of three, and reducing the “pension multiplier” used to calculate the re- WRITE TO: CLARION/PSC, 61 BROADWAY, 15TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10006. leTTers To The ediTor | E-MAIL: [email protected]. FAX: (212) 302-7815. tirement benefit. The latter change reduces the annual retirement benefit for a 30-year employee by close to 10%. For those covered by Tier 6 in both TRS and TIAA-CREF (the largest plan under the Optional Pathways: 80th Street control of your dept. Retirement Program for CUNY full-timers), the new rules raise ● One relatively neglected aspect the following sentence: “Submis- May Day and you re-embrace May Day. We’ve been a the basic retirement age to 63 and of Pathways is the administra- sion of this form to the Course visible and a vocal presence at the increase required employee contri- tive takeover of the initial courses Review Committee is unrelated to ● We can make May Day 2012 May Day rallies and marches of 2010 butions, which now start at 3% for for each transfer major. The fifth college governance procedures for something huge! For the first time, and 2011. Yet, we have never turned those earning $45,000 or less, ris- “resolved” statement of the CUNY course approvals.” it looks as if labor, community, im- out even 1% of our membership. ing to 6% above $100,000. Employee trustees’ Pathways resolution Disciplinary transfer major com- migrant, Occupy Wall Street and That should be our minimum contributions will continue after 10 (tinyurl.com/BoT-Path) says that mittees have already been formed established political groups will co- turnout goal for 2012.
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