November 2007 Issue 3 Academic Year 2007-2008

Retirees Newsletter

PROFESSIONAL STAFF CONGRESS

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT: I thank Jim Perlstein for this colorful summary of Mr. Marvin Miller’s remarks.

BALLPLAYERS AND UNIONISM: the standard player contract had MARVIN MILLER’S TALK amounted to serfdom. RESONATES WITH CUNY RETIREES Though young and inexperienced with unions, Miller found major Marvin Miller, retired leaguers to be fast learners Executive Director of the who quickly came to appreciate Major League’s their collective power through Players’ Association, collective action. The relatively provided the November small number of ballplayers meeting of the Retirees who make it to the major Chapter with a compelling leagues made it possible to retrospective on the origin and have regular one-on-one progress of baseball unionism since meetings with each player, in the 1960’s. addition to annual group meetings with each team during spring While some PSCers had looked training. And the union maintained forward to a nostalgic afternoon - an open door policy at its “…I remember Robin headquarters so that players could Roberts” - Miller would have none of drop in during the season as their it. He kept his talk and his teams cycled through the city for responses to the numerous scheduled games. All of this, Miller questions focused on the nature of said, speeded the education unionism, particularly the question of process, kept members engaged unionism among celebrities and provided Miller and his small conditioned to see themselves as staff with the opportunity to hammer privileged independent contractors. home the idea that the members are And he stressed that ballplayers’ the union. Three successful strikes celebrity notwithstanding, conditions and the defeat of two management prior to collective bargaining and the lockouts have, over the years, only abolition of the “” in strengthened union solidarity.

1

It was quite a challenge, Miller said, benefits made it all worthwhile. to leave a large and powerful union When you think of the profits like the of baseball players generate for club America to head up a fledgling owners, he added, neither he nor the organization of a few hundred players have anything to be baseball players. But looking back, embarrassed by in the compensation winning collective bargaining, the players have achieved. pensions, binding arbitration, the end of the reserve clause and the advent Not incidentally, Marvin Miller’s wife, of free agency and radical Theresa, is a PSC Retirees Chapter improvements in salaries and member from Kingsborough.

HAVE YOU PAID YOUR PSC RETIREE DUES? If you have not paid your annual PSC retiree dues for the academic year 9/1/07-8/31/08 this will be your final newsletter. Annual direct payment bills were mailed during the month of August and reminder notices were sent out during October. Please be advised that if you are enrolled in any insurance programs provided by our affiliates such as the NYSUT Legal Service Plan, Homeowner’s Insurance and Automobile Insurance, etc. these insurances will also terminate if your membership dues have not been paid. If you have any questions regarding your membership, or want to call us just to be sure that we have received your check, you can call the PSC Membership Department at 212-354-1252.

PSC MASS REKINDLING MEETING: A coterie REFORM: of Chapter members The Retirees Chapter attended this and the PSC are two important PSC organizations offering meeting held on support to Rekindling October 30 in the Reform, an entity Great Hall at Cooper created for the Union. PSC purpose of seeking members packed the the institution of a Hall as they warmly supported the PSC’s efforts to universal health plan obtain a new contract with significant for all Americans. improvements. The audience heard from all Rekindling Reform’s constituencies within the PSC. Especially recent Newsletter noteworthy was President Barbara Bowen’s contained the outlining of the three-phase strategic negotiations’ following item (next plan. The first phase represents the incremental page) which should gains of the last two contracts, phase two will be of interest to our include dealing with salary erosion, the adjunct members. → system, and excessive teaching load. They all happen to be very costly items. Phase three includes remaining issues.

2

Rekindling Reform Leads Response to New Spitzer Moves Toward Universal Health Care

Rekindling Reform is joining forces with health advocacy groups to respond to the Spitzer administration’s new “Partnership for Coverage” initiative. Along with the Community Service Society (CSS) and the Metro New York Health Care for All Campaign, Rekindling Reform convened a special planning meeting on Wednesday afternoon October 10th at SS (105 E. 22nd St. in ) to brief people on what is underway and discuss how everyone can best work together to affect the process. About 60 people attended from a variety of organizations, and a lively conversation took place as people shared their priorities for talking points. A main goal of this meeting was to prepare people for public hearings to be held in on Tuesday October 30th and on Long Island on Wednesday, December 5th. These two hearings, along with four others being held across the state throughout the fall, lie at the center of the Spitzer administration’s efforts so far. This series kicked off in early Sept. in Glens Falls (north of Albany in the Adirondacks), where Rekindling Reform and other groups held a rally, spoke to the local press, and presented testimony. Rekindling Reform’s co-convener Sid Socolar gave testimony praising the Governor’s new public hearing process, and emphasized the importance of cost control as central to expanding toward universal coverage. He also cautioned against affordability measures that could result in underinsurance, called for improved insurance regulation, stressed the need for social insurance mechanisms (vs. commercial insurance), and recommended exploring partnerships with the federal government. Rekindling Reform's testimony is available at www.rekindlingreform.org. Full details on the Spitzer administration’s hearings, including various people’s testimony, are available at www.partnership4coverage.ny.gov.

ISRAEL KUGLER: In recognition of room, creating a periodic symposium the lifetime efforts by the late Israel on unionism in Higher Education, or Kugler, on behalf of unionism in whatever action may be deemed Higher Education, and as a co- appropriate. founder of the Professional Staff Congress, the Executive Committee CCNY MEMORIES: The following is of the Retirees Chapter adopted a a news item that may bring warm resolution to be submitted to the memories to those who attended PSC urging them to establish a City College. Letter to the Editor: I memorial in the form of naming a recently ran into a CCNY web site

3

celebrating reference to the film, to others who the 100th may be so interested. Peter centennial of Jonas Retiree and CCNY '56 the school's move THE JANUARY LUNCHEON: This uptown. It mailing will contain the contains announcement for our January good Luncheon. We always seek to bring pictures and interesting programs to you as part stories. On of the occasion. For the January the "Share Luncheon, a docent from The your Metropolitan Museum of Art will memories" page of the site: provide a presentation on the new http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/ci/cent Greek and Roman galleries at the ennial/, there is an item by Daniel museum. Come and join us on Grunberg with a reference to a short Monday, January 7. film, apparently made in the 50's, that has Raymond the Bagel Man UPDATE YOUR MEMBERSHIP playing an important part. In the film, INFORMATION: As part of our "The Balloon and Five Pence" efforts to reach our members in a http://www.videosear.ch/watch/41 most timely fashion regarding 57817402/ the-balloon-and-five- contract negotiations, PSC activities, pence/ one sees Shepard (main) and items of immediate interest, we Hall from a few viewpoints. That have included a data sheet which will provided additional nostalgia for me. provide us with your current address, Many retirees might enjoy the site telephone number, and an E-MAIL and the film. Also, some may want ADDRESS. Such information will be to forward this site, including the most helpful.

The Kaplan Report

The Kaplan Report: This month, Larry Kaplan’s topic is: The Soaring Federal National Debt: 1789 – 2007: One of the questions that needs to be addressed in the forthcoming presidential campaign and election is the unbridled growth of the national debt. If left unchecked, this growing problem could result in a catastrophic recession. Here are the facts.

The steep climb of the Federal national debt over the past 26 years from $1 trillion to $9 trillion represents an unconscionable burden for future generations. The Concord Coalition, the group that analyzes these figures, is a nonpartisan organization advocating responsible fiscal responsibility. Former U.S. Senators Warren B. Rudman (R-NH) and Bob Kerrey (D-NE) serve as Co- Chairs. Their report emphasized that when Baby Boomers, those born between 1946 and

4

1964, begin to retire, Social Security overseas. In the past five fiscal years and Medicare will have to pay these the percentage of publicly held debt by beneficiaries. those outside the U.S. has jumped from 35 percent to 55 percent. If those who The bad news is that the surplus invested decide to request payment or if created annually from working they decide to stop lending money to the contributors was not held in a “lockbox.” U.S., the economic problem would Instead the government “borrowed” the escalate. Social Security surplus to pay for current U.S. operating expenses. Soon for the second time in 2007, Henry M. Paulson, Jr., Secretary of the As of the end of 2006, the surplus Treasury Department, will ask Congress “borrowed” from Social Security stood at to approve another increase in the debt $2.0 trillion. To make the national debt ceiling, to “preserve the full faith and of $9 trillion appear smaller than it credit of the United States.” actually is, the $2.0 trillion “borrowed” from Social Security is excluded from One of our Founding Fathers, Thomas the total. It should be added to $9 Jefferson (1743-1826) wrote: “I place trillion, making the total national debt economy among the first and most $11 trillion. The “borrowed” $2 trillion is important virtues, and public debt as the projected to grow to $4 trillion by greatest of dangers. To preserve our January 1st, 2015. independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.” The fastest growing part of the U.S. Federal budget is the interest on the In light of the current Federal debt that is national debt, currently about 10 percent plaguing our country, Jefferson’s words of the total budget. The Congressional are even more relevant. It is imperative Budget Office reports that monthly that the presidential candidates and interest on the public debt as of those seeking roles of leadership, September 2007 was $19.2 billion, or address the problem, not hide it under $230 billion a year. the rug, and offer their solutions in order for the American people to vote The debt, formerly held by investors intelligently. within the U.S., is now held by investors

SOCIAL PROBLEMS GROUP: A group of Retirees Chapter members are forming the Social Problems Reading Group as a means to meet regularly and discuss books on social and political issues of contemporary importance. Anyone interested is invited to join the Social Problems Reading Group, and we hope that those interested in other topics will form similar reading groups.

We have chosen as our first book for discussion Michael Lebowitz, Build It Now: Socialism for the 21st Century (MR Press, 2007). The book is an engaging description and analysis of Chavez’s “Bolivarian Revolution” in Venezuela.

The tentative date for our initial meeting is Tuesday, December 18th at 1:00 PM at the PSC. If interested, please call the PSC at 212-354-1252 to RSVP.

5