Dear Colleagues,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following is a summary of the recent Fall Delegate Assembly attended by 25 of your elected Chapter Delegate Members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the hope that the coronavirus pandemic is at last burning out, and a good start to the fall semester at SUNY, UUP members can now start planning for the union\u2019s next two huge challenges: the approaching state budget, and a new contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both issues formed the backdrop to the Fall 2021 Delegate Assembly, which UUP conducted in a virtual, one-day format Oct. 15. UUP President Fred Kowal struck a tone of excitement and optimism as he recounted UUP\u2019s gains for its members during a terribly difficult 20 months, and then looked ahead to the budget and the next contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery battle fought and won brings us closer to a better future for all of us,\u201d Kowal told the nearly 300 delegates. \u201cAnd since we last met in the spring, we have had victories\u2014hard-won victories\u2014but ones we had to have and that we can build on. The victories we\u2019ve had are about turning back the virus, protecting each other and our communities, while continuing to teach and heal and thereby testify, by our words and deeds, to the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MAKING GAINS FOR MEMBERS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The list of gains is extensive, starting with the telecommuting agreement during the initial shutdown, and several extensions of the agreement until SUNY fully reopened for the fall 2021 semester. Then came mandatory testing for everyone on the SUNY campuses, and mandatory vaccinations for students\u2014both of which UUP supported as a way of making campuses safer for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most recently, UUP reached a deal with the state and SUNY for UUP members to receive substantial overtime pay for the hours which members have had to work because of staff shortages triggered by Gov. Hochul\u2019s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. Healthcare workers who refused to be vaccinated by Sept. 27 have been suspended and face disciplinary action and possible dismissal, and in the meantime, their colleagues have had to cover for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HONORING ACTIVISTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The DA also included warm tributes to the four members who received two of UUP\u2019s service awards, with the poignant note that one of the awards was presented posthumously. Mike Lyon of Upstate Medical University and Wes Kennison of Geneseo received the Nina Mitchell Award for Distinguished Service to United University Professions. The late Sandy Spier of Downstate Health Sciences University and Jeanne Galbraith of Stony Brook HSC received the Pearl H. Brod Outstanding Retiree award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n UUP\u2019s officers also updated members on their work, with new statewide vice presidents Carolyn Kube for professionals and Alissa Karl for academics delivering their inaugural reports. And members paid tribute to the immediate past vice presents, Jamie Dangler for academics, and Tom Tucker for professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Members approved three resolutions, which support the development of on-site childcare and adult care on every SUNY campus; express appreciation to Tom Tucker for his service to UUP and honor the late UUP member Bob Kasprak of the Optometry Chapter for his many contributions to UUP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The DA also included a Q&A forum on negotiations, which allowed delegates to talk about what their chapters hope to see in the next contract. And that brought Kowal to the biggest political news of the year in New York: Gov. Kathy Hochul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kowal struck of note of optimism as he mentioned those two huge issues confronting UUP, both of which involve the governor: negotiations and the state budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Solidarity,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ken Kern Dear Colleagues, The following is a summary of the recent Fall Delegate Assembly attended by 25 of your elected Chapter Delegate Members. With the hope that the coronavirus pandemic is at last burning out, and a good start to the fall semester at SUNY, UUP members can now start planning for the union\u2019s next two […]<\/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":[8],"tags":[386],"table_tags":[],"class_list":["post-4207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-membership","tag-fall-delegate-assembly"],"yoast_head":"\n
Chapter President
UUP Buffalo Center<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"