Dear Colleagues,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elected delegates of your Buffalo Center Chapter attended the Delegate Assembly this past Friday and Saturday. The following is a summary of that event including topics discussed, Legislative Advocacy Plans and resolutions passed. Remember that you can also run to become a Delegate at the upcoming Chapter elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the face of great uncertainty about the length of the coronavirus pandemic and the status of the state budget, UUP is boldly putting forth a two-phase legislative plan that aims to strengthen SUNY\u2019s academic medical centers and campuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UUP President Fred Kowal introduced that plan during his remarks at the January 2021 Delegate Assembly, a virtual event held Jan. 22-23. \u201cUUP HEALS\u201d stands for Healthcare, Education, Access, Leadership and Sustainability, and includes the union\u2019s first-ever federal legislative agenda, along with a state legislative agenda. The topics summarize the union\u2019s priorities, which Kowal said are especially urgent because of the global pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 people in the U.S., including some UUP members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe in UUP have undertaken the most aggressive campaign to generate an ambitious and far-reaching legislative agenda in our history,\u201d Kowal told the 232 delegates who logged into the DA. \u201cIf we are to defeat COVID and emerge as a more just society, we can\u2019t simply continue with the political economy as it was prior to the pandemic. It was hopelessly regressive and unjust then. The poorest and the most oppressed have suffered the most during COVID. Thus, we must do better. And this plan shows the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WORKLOAD A SPECIAL CONCERN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Delegates raised a number of issues related to the pandemic, including workload, access to vaccines, and the telecommuting agreement that UUP reached with the state, which has not been evenly applied by campus administrations. At the meeting of professional delegates Jan. 23, Statewide Vice President for Professionals Tom Tucker urged members to watch out for work overload and to \u201cmake sure you\u2019re not running yourself into the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been really pouring into academic issues,\u201d said Jamie Dangler, statewide vice president for academics. \u201cWe are urging every chapter to take action and mobilize around workload.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n UUP LOOKING BEYOND PANDEMIC<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n But the union is also looking ahead by continuing work that began before the pandemic. Kowal announced that former Albany Chapter president Bret Benjamin will be the union\u2019s chief negotiator in the next contract talks. The current agreement with the state runs to July 1, 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And Dangler gave an upbeat report on the work of the statewide Teacher Education Committee, which has continued to regularly meet and advocate for the teacher education faculty and students and sound, fair certification policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RESOLUTIONS REFLECT EFFICIENCY, SOCIAL JUSTICE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Delegates also voted on several resolutions. Those that delegates approved included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The DA closed with a workshop on the Invest in Our New York Campaign, which supports six state bills to bring new revenue into the state budget by ending tax breaks for the rich. The theme was in keeping with the overall tone of optimism and roll-up-your-sleeves attitude that Kowal struck as he set the stage for a potentially difficult legislative session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSince COVID has hit, we\u2019ve actually built up the number of allies we\u2019re working with while also deepening the relationship with these allies,\u201d Kowal told delegates. \u201cMany of these allies joined us at our rally in November on the stock transfer tax. What we are fighting for is justice: social, economic, racial and environmental. This sacred work has the power to take us beyond the present chaos, through the deep fear that is so prevalent among us all, and it can help us heal the terrible divisions that scar our people. It\u2019s the means by which we can keep the fire of hope alive.\u201d\u200b<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dear Colleagues, Elected delegates of your Buffalo Center Chapter attended the Delegate Assembly this past Friday and Saturday. The following is a summary of that event including topics discussed, Legislative Advocacy Plans and resolutions passed. Remember that you can also run to become a Delegate at the upcoming Chapter elections. In the face of great uncertainty about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,8,37],"tags":[261],"table_tags":[],"class_list":["post-3474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-buffalo-center-news","category-membership","category-statewide-news","tag-uup-virtual-delegate-assembly"],"yoast_head":"\n