Summer 2007 Clarion
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ROVING G REPORTER Summer reading What books do you take Clarıon to the beach – or the lab? NEWSPAPER OF THE PROFESSIONAL STAFF CONGRESS / CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK SUMMER 2007 PAGE 8 s r e d n a S e v a D CCONTRAONTRACCTT PPETITIONETITION PPSCSC PPROPOSALSROPOSALS WIN SUPPSUPPORTORT Union and management negotiators have met regularly throughout the summer So far more than 2,400 members have signed a petition to support the direction in contract talks. There is a world of difference between the two sides’ demands, proposed by the PSC (see pp. 6-7 for signatures.) Above, Nick Irons signs a posing a stark choice about what kind of university CUNY will be in the future. petition held by Anselma Rodriguez at Brooklyn College. PAGES 6,7 RETIREMENT ORGANIZING PENSION EQUITY HISTORY New savings PSC wins labor NYS lawmakers The fight against plan offered board decision OK reform bill the slave trade All CUNY employees, both The NLRB ruled that grad PSC members urge Gov. CUNY students and NYC full- and part-time, now have students who work for the Spitzer to sign legislation union members joined a new retirement savings op- Research Foundation do that would give TIAA-CREF British unionists’ commemo- tion. The 457 Plan, sponsored have union rights – and their participants the same treat- ration of the ban on the slave by New York State, is flexible May 2005 ballots must be ment as their co-workers trade, and discussed its and tax-deferred. PAGE 9 counted. PAGE 5 in TRS. PAGES 3, 12 meaning for today. PAGE 10 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS G AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS G NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION G NYC CENTRAL LABOR COUNCIL G NYS AFL-CIO G NEW YORK STATE UNITED TEACHERS 2 NEWS & LETTERS Clarion | Summer 2007 Call for submissions Outrage continues Our CUNYvs.Their CUNY By CLARION STAFF Can you imagine? The PSC is in the midst of negotia- tions with CUNY management for a Committee. “But many of our mem- sentation at an event at the union new contract, and both sides have bers – artists, musicians, poets, fic- hall on 61 Broadway. The event is presented their demands. If you tion writers and performers – can planned for September 19, 2007, the look at each side’s list, say present the possible future day the current contract expires. union activists – and you can Two very under these demands more “Send us your dystopian, utopian, or find both on the web at different vividly, whether that presen- simply humorous version of CUNY’s www.psc-cuny.org/NewCon tation is tragic or comic.” future were these demands to go in- tractRound.htm, you’ll see visions As part of an educational to effect,” the committee requested w o two very different visions for campaign about this round of in a postcard sent to members the n of the r A the University’s future. bargaining, the committee is last week in July. t a future P “It’s one thing to describe inviting union members “to Submissions should be sent to the potential impact of these de- contribute a piece of creative work Dorothee Benz at dbenz@pscmail. Adjunct activists brought their “Campaign of Outrage” to open houses held at mands, if they make their way into that illustrates what life would real- org. They will be considered and Bronx, Queensborough and Kingsborough Community Colleges in July. The col- the contract, in the prosaic language ly be like at CUNY under manage- accepted on a rolling basis; all leges are among five at CUNY that pay adjunct faculty less during exam peri- of newsletters and speeches,” said a ment’s demands, or under the PSC’s submissions must be received by ods, even though they are often the busiest times of the semester. Protesters’ statement from the PSC Organizing demands,” to be considered for pre- September 5, 2007. message to management for the Fall: “We’ll be back!” | WRITE TO: CLARION/PSC, 61 BROADWAY, 15TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10006. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR E-MAIL: [email protected]. FAX: (212) 302-7815. LABOR IN BRIEF Bill to restore union rights of professionals In March, federal lawmakers intro- Equal problems,unequal resources duced bills to turn over the Nation- al Labor Relations Board’s Kentucky River decision. That rul- G At the end of last semester, a stu- our students, whose needs are sure- does not fit under the heading of Brave, bold and ing redefined and radically ex- dent informed me that her father ly no less than those of the Honors the article and should be acknowl- panded the board’s definition of had entered the hospital and she College’s “University Scholars.” edged separately. undocumented “supervisor” – which removed would like to re-schedule the final. I Jonathan Buchsbaum As a newly elected delegate who G Americans do not respect the law. thousands of workers from the told her not to worry and to contact Queens College ran on the QCC Unified Slate, I Our highways are full of evidence of protection of federal law if they me when his condition improved. would like to extend congratula- this. seek to form a union. Shortly afterward, I received a note tions to all the successful incumbent Our heroes are not martyrs to the Three Democrats in the Senate from an administrator asking me to Against Hillary Clinton and newly elected candidates in the law, such as Sir Patrick Spens, Sir and two in the House introduced arrange an alternative time for G I see that Hillary Clinton may get April 2007 PSC local elections. Thomas More or Uncle Tom. Our he- the Re-Empowerment of Skilled and “this Honors College student” to the nod from the AFT. I strongly op- Mona Fabricant roes are outlaws, such as Huck Finn, Professional Employees and Con- take the final. pose this, for many reasons: she Queensborough Community College Han Solo, Ferris Beuller and Captain struction Tradeworkers (RE- This was the first time I had ever does not represent our members, Jack Sparrow – to say nothing of our SPECT) Act. The bill would amend received such a request. As we our students, our CUNY or our city. Editor Peter Hogness responds: Founding Fathers. We admire those the National Labor Relations Act by know, Honors College students are Consider her failure to act positive- While Clarion is happy to publish who get over on the system, who de- redefining “supervisor” as a worker given more than particular semi- ly towards labor issues while on the this letter, we think our headline fy the law, who know no boundaries. who spends the majority of her or nars or classes – they get free tu- board of Wal-Mart; and her awful was accurate and our coverage did An essential quality of the American his day supervising others. ition and a portable computer. record on the Iraq war. not exclude anyone. is to color outside the lines, to chal- Evidently, they also receive coun- Even if the AFT board does vote Clarion’s headline on the 2007 lenge authority. Faculty strike votes seling support that extends to the to endorse Clinton, that need not be chapter elections had two parts, So what to make of all this sanc- intervention of administrators with a unanimous recommendation – a which read as follows: timony regarding illegal immi- lead to contract gains teachers. principled abstention, or even a Incumbents win chapter races grants? Forget all of our ancestors In early July, the Association of CUNY’s website states that the “no” vote, would send a strong sig- Most elections uncontested who came to this country by any Pennsylvania State College and Honors College aims to develop stu- nal. I remember our union’s mistak- The first part of our headline re- means necessary, including lies University Faculties reached an dents’ “awareness of the resources en endorsement of McCall for New ferred to the contested chapter elec- on immigration forms and false agreement with the state universi- available to them as members of the York governor over our own Stan- tions (“races”), all of which were claims of professions, wealth, ty system, after the academic Honors College.” ley Aronowitz, which might have won by incumbents. As every dictio- health and family relations. Hav- union voted to authorize a strike. Yet one of the first things the oth- truly had a positive outcome – en- nary we’ve consulted agrees, if there ing the cleverness and guts to Members won a cash payment er hundreds of thousands of CUNY hancement of alternate/third party is no competition, there is no race. defy unjust and unwieldy immi- plus annual raises of 3% to 4% in students become aware of is politics in our 1.5 party state. The second part of the headline re- gration laws in order to escape each of four years. CUNY’s lack of resources, including We are protesting in front of her ferred to the majority of chapter poverty and oppression should “Our mantra has been no con- counselors. office – we don’t intend to support elections, like QCC, where there was absolutely qualify an immigrant tract, no work,” union President As the Honors College is heavily her in the proverbial smoky rooms, no competition. to be an American. This is the kind Patricia Heilman told the Chronicle supported by private funds, the Uni- do we? As described in the May-June of person we want here – the kind of Higher Education. In previous versity risks reproducing a two-tier Paul Sheridan Clarion, the names of all those elect- of person who staged the years, she said, unionized faculty private/public system within CUNY Brooklyn College [retired] ed to chapter office are being pub- Boston Tea Party, not the Tories of had worked past the contract expi- itself.