UUP Battles Budget Freeze UUP Battles Budget Freeze
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Official Publication of United University Professions ■ The Nation’s Largest Higher Education Union Working For You TTHHEE VVooiiccee May/June 2008 UUPUUP battles battles budgetbudget freezefreeze —— PagePage 1212 Is my check in the mail? THE Once lawmakers approve the pay Voice bill and the governor signs it, the Volume 35, Number 9 A s The Voice went to next stop is the state comptroller’s The VOICE is the official publication of United press, the process to imple- office. Then the comptroller will University Professions (UUP), bargaining agent for ment the pay increases for issue a pay bulletin that will the more than 34,000 academic and professional UUP members negotiated in stipulate when the paychecks employees of the State University of New York. the new UUP/New York state will be issued, including the Contact UUP at P.O. Box 15143, Albany, New York 12212-5143. Telephone (518) 640-6600 or contract was moving forward. retroactive pay. toll-free at (800) 342-4206. UUP’s Internet site is UUP has been pushing the As soon as UUP obtains a www.uupinfo.org. UUP is Local 2190 of the process along beginning the confirmed payroll date, the American Federation of Teachers (AFL-CIO) and day the contract was ratified, union will notify members is affiliated with NYSUT and the National Education Association. March 13. The unexpected through official communi- change in gubernatorial cations. Also, an UUP STATEWIDE OFFICERS administrations and staff announcement will be delayed the progress. posted on the home PHILLIP H. SMITH A “pay bill” — legislation that page of the UUP Web President is required for the release of public site at www.uupinfo.org and chapter funds — is sent from the leaders will be notified. governor’s office to the state Legislature. — Donald Feldstein JOHN J. MARINO Vice President for Professionals Letters FREDERICK G. FLOSS Member thanks NYSUT for efforts in Leadership Institute Vice President for Academics To the Editor: 10 years of graduates numbering over 600. As a graduate of the recently completed It truly shows NYSUT is a union of profession- NYSUT Leadership Institute (class of ’07), I als who look to give us the tools and knowledge EILEEN LANDY would like to express my heartfelt thanks for to be better leaders in the union movement. The Secretary the wonderful effort NYSUT and Cornell put efforts and continued support of this program by forth on our behalf. The opportunity gave me our officers and NYSUT staff is a tribute to this and my two fellow UUP leaders the ability to organization putting its money where its mouth work on and further develop our leadership is, that being education. Thanks again to my fel- ROWENA J. skills with union activists from all areas and low classmates and our instructors for a wonder- BLACKMAN-STROUD walks of New York state. The lessons learned ful, eye-opening experience. Treasurer and network of contacts formed will serve the — Charlie McAteer union well as we take our place with the other Stony Brook EDWARD H. QUINN Membership Development Officer What’s inside this issue? UUP COMMUNICATIONS DEPT. DENYCE DUNCAN LACY 12 RALLYING FOR SUNY 3-7 UUP Spring DA Director of Communications OISETTE UUPers came out en masse to protest N • Delegates elect officers, Executive Board members KAREN L. MATTISON the governor’s freeze of $110 million in ISE • 2008-09 spending plan unanimously adopted Publications Specialist -W funds SUNY collects from students and L E • Chapters awarded for communications efforts DONALD FELDSTEIN hospital patients. Media Relations Specialist 9-11 NYSUT Representative Assembly MICHAEL LISI • NYSUT is ‘on the move’ for change Communications Specialist 17 Aquatic program swimmingly successful • UUP makes its presence known ANGELL M. LAW Communications Assistant 18 Fulbrights go in search of scholarship • Leaders speak out on labor, education 19 Labor stands firmly behind Clinton • UUPers share their thoughts on unionism KENNETH HOLMAN 20 Judge dismisses charges against bio-artist Kurtz Web Site Specialist 21 UUPer pens the ‘very American story’ of US 20 15-16 Joint NEA-AFT Conference The VOICE is a member of the American Federation 22 UUP, NYSUT showcase benefits • UUP joins the effort to build alliances of Teachers Communicators Network and the 23 To the point: Groundhog Day? .... and improving the news • HEA reauthorization nearly complete International Labor Communications Association. 2 ■ THE VOICE May/June 2008 A FFILIATES Below, Atlas Hsie of Utica/Rome, left, raises a point during a meeting 2008 Spring DA of chapter leaders. Delegates get down to union business at two-day convention The UUP Spring Delegate Assembly is usually a hectic, productive business ATTISON PHOTOS meeting. L. M This year’s event was all that and then AREN some. K From rallying at the state Capitol against the Division of the Budget plan to freeze SUNY revenues, to approving UUP’s 2008-2009 budget, to electing statewide officers and Executive Board members, UUPers showed they were ready to take action and eager to make their voices heard. Delegates came from near and far — and really far — to do so. Ezra Zubrow of SUNY Buffalo traveled from Australia to be at the DA. Robert Compton of Oneonta returned from Zimbabwe to attend. The 2008 Spring DA took place May 2-3 “A well-organized plan builds in Albany, less than a month after the member confidence in your Division of the Budget announced it would withhold nearly $110 million in funds ability to be successful.” SUNY receives from students and families for tuition, fees for dormitories and other — Lillian Taiz, President payments. Also included in that amount: California Faculty Association dollars collected by SUNY’s three hospitals TAIZ from patients and their private insurers. That topic was on the minds of UUPers words for legislators, demanding that to send a fax to the governor, page 8.) throughout the DA as they discussed and SUNY rescind its freeze immediately. Smith said he was planning to meet with drafted resolutions, worked to set policy “Unless we make all of the parts whole, several newspaper editorial boards and and planned for future union events, SUNY won’t be able to keep functioning, was working on other “avenues of attack” during workshops and in small and large and students, parents and the whole New to make the union’s voice heard. group sessions. Lillian Taiz, president of York economy will suffer,” Smith said. BUDGET, ELECTIONS, RESOLUTIONS the California Faculty Association, was the Matt Cedar, a 22-year-old SUNY Delegates re-elected three statewide event’s featured speaker, sharing her Oneonta student, said he drove to Albany officers and voted five new members onto union’s solidarity success stories and to be at the rally to show his support. “I’m the Executive Board. They also approved organizing tips with close to 300 delegates. a student in the SUNY system and I have UUP’s $8.18 million annual operating a vested interest in this,” he said. FIRED UP budget and took action on nearly a Taiz, NYSUT Executive Vice President Taiz didn’t need to do much to motivate dozen resolutions and briefly discussed Alan Lubin and state Sen. Neil Breslin members, who were fresh and still fired a constitutional amendment to create a (D-Delmar) also spoke at the rally. up from a noon rally on the steps of the Retiree Chapter. During the May 2 plenary session, Smith state Capitol. (See related story, page 12.) urged members to send a letter to the gover- DELEGATE MEETINGS UUP members were joined by members of nor, calling for him to rescind the fund Delegates also took part in academic NYSUT, NYPIRG and students from the freeze. Delegates responded by signing and professional delegates meetings. University at Albany and SUNY Oneonta, more than 250 letters. More than 50 members attended the wearing placards, carrying signs, shaking Smith urged delegates to tell their professional delegates meeting, featuring noisemakers and chanting slogans such as members, families and friends about the panel discussions on performance “Save SUNY now!” threat to SUNY’s future, and encourage programs and evaluations and promotions UUP President Phillip Smith had strong them to join in UUP’s efforts. (See how see DELEGATES, page 6 May/June 2008 THE VOICE ■ 3 Delegates adopt ’08-09 spending plan FFILIATES A Delegates to the Spring DA overwhelmingly approved UUP’s annual spending plan, which includes an operating budget of $8.18 million for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. The budget “reflects our union’s priorities for 2008-2009: implementa- FLOSS MARINO BLACKMAN-STROUD tion of the 2007-2011 collective bargaining agreement between UUP and New York state; outreach activities; service to the membership; and recruit- ment of new activists,” said statewide Treasurer Rowena Blackman-Stroud. In her report to union delegates, Blackman-Stroud noted that UUP negotiated a total of nearly $2 million in direct support from NYSUT, up by nearly $200,000 from last year. The union will use a one-time lump sum NYSUT payment of $125,000 to BROWN DANGLER HUERTA increase the coffers for UUP’s outreach advertising campaign. The total amount allocated for outreach activities is Delegates elect officers, board; $500,000. election,” Britton said. “We recognize the importance of the And when all was said and done, union’s advertising campaign, as well K yle Britton of Oneonta has been Britton and the nearly 300 other delegates as other statewide and regional legisla- waiting a long time to be seated as an in attendance re-elected three statewide tive activities, in the ongoing battle for Oneonta Chapter delegate. He has been an officers and put five new members on increased higher education funding,” observer to UUP Delegate Assemblies and the Executive Board.