Newly elected NYSUT President Karen Magee’s message to UUPers was loud and clear: higher education is important to NYSUT.

Vitally important.

Magee, who spoke at the 2014 Spring Delegate Assembly dinner May 2, smiled as she was met with loud applause from delegates. She wasted no time telling them what they wanted to hear: that UUP can depend on NYSUT now and in the future.

“Higher ed faculty, health care professionals, teachers and SRPs—you all have something to say and the `new’ NYSUT is here to listen and to deliver!,” she said.

“I know in my heart that she will deliver on that pledge because she has already been there for UUP,” said UUP President Fred Kowal, as he introduced Magee. “She joined us in Brooklyn to fight for public health care and she is committed to fighting all the attacks that come against us.”

UUP strongly supported Magee and her slate—Executive Vice President Andrew Pallotta, vice presidents Catalina Fortino and Paul Pecorale, and Secretary-Treasurer Martin Messner—in NYSUT’s April elections. All the NYSUT officers attended the delegate dinner.

After her speech, Magee and the rest of the NYSUT officers pulled on red UUP t-shirts as UUPers rose to their feet and applauded loudly.

Magee told delegates that NYSUT’s new leadership is keenly aware of higher ed issues, and is ready to lend its support and resources to aid UUP in its ongoing challenges—such as the chronic underfunding of SUNY, preserving jobs and services at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and SUNY’s other public hospitals and medical schools, and gaining equity for adjuncts.

“Thanks to our SUNY institutions, every citizen of New York state has access to a high-quality degree and top-notch health care,” Magee said. “And we want to make sure that access continues.”

She’s already made good on her promise. NYSUT was instrumental in negotiations that led to the state Board of Regents’ April 28 decision to delay full implementation of the edTPA and review its use as a requirement for initial teacher certification.

“These days, in their rush to hand out giveaways to big corporations and the wealthy, it seems like our state lawmakers have forgotten the value of the SUNY system,” she said. “But let me tell you, we’re here to make sure they remember!”

Magee closed her six-minute speech by urging delegates to “be the union” and calling on them to advocate for causes important for unions and the community, such as voting yes for local public school budgets May 20.

One way to do that is by joining NYSUT and UUP in Lake Placid for “Picket in the Pines,” a May 4 protest against anti-union “reformers” from the Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) meeting at Whiteface Lodge May 4-6 for Camp Philos, billed as a “philosopher’s camp on education reform.” The event is hosted by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

“Show up, sign up, speak up,” she said. “Do whatever you can—big or small—to advance our cause as unionists and professionals.”

 NEW YORK April 6, 2014 – Karen Magee, a veteran elementary and special education teacher from Harrison, is the new president of the 600,000-member New York State United Teachers. Magee and her slate of officers were elected by a majority of the nearly 3,000 NYSUT delegates who voted Saturday at the union’s annual Representative Assembly in New York City.

Magee is the first woman to serve as NYSUT president, succeeding Richard C. Iannuzzi, the union’s president since April 2005. A teacher for nearly 30 years and a longtime leader of the Harrison Association of Teachers, Magee was elected to a three-year term to lead the state’s largest union.

• For more information: NYSUT Officers and Board of Directors

NYSUT delegates re-elected Andrew Pallotta as executive vice president and voted for two new vice presidents: Catalina Fortino, UFT vice president for education and director of the United Federation of Teachers’ Teacher Center, and Paul Pecorale, a special education teacher in Patchogue-Medford and president of the Patchogue-Medford Congress of Teachers. Martin Messner, a health and physical education teacher in Schoharie and president of the Schoharie Teachers’ Association, was elected secretary-treasurer. Delegates also elected members of the union’s Board of Directors.

“Our team stands for change and our work begins now,” said Magee. “That includes taking on the tough fights and communicating clearly with decision makers at every level. We will be the voice they cannot ignore. We will defend public education and public service. Period.” In the weeks ahead, she and her team of officers will travel the state to call on “each and every member to BE the union, as we unite for change.”

“This election has revitalized NYSUT,” Magee said. “The record-breaking participation in this election shows how deeply our members care about their union. This commitment and passion will carry us forward into a new generation of activism.” She thanked Iannuzzi and the other outgoing officers for “their many years of tireless dedication to NYSUT and the labor movement,” and said she was confident members would now unite in common cause.

Magee is a member of the NYSUT Board of Directors and its Policy Council. She is an elected representative to the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System. For more than a decade, Magee has served as an officer of the Westchester/Putnam Central Labor Body, AFL-CIO and was the first woman to receive the WPCLB Labor Award.

New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.

Caption: Left to right: Martin Messner, Secretary-Treasurer; Catalina Fortino, Vice President; Karen Magee, President; Andrew Pallotta, Executive Vice President; Paul Pecorale, Vice President.

Source: NYSUT Media Relations

Know Your Contract Workshop was held at SUNY Fredonia.  The question and answer workshop was attended by 84 Fredonia UUP members.  Presenters were Fred Kowal, Jamie Dangler, Philippe Abraham, and Tara Singer-Blumberg.

Here are some questions from Workshop:

Q: What is used to calculate Dependent Care Advantage/Flexible Spending Accounts?
A: Base salary (available to all full-time and part-time employees).

Q: DSA background?
A: Different from any previous contract–not added to base; campuses required to distribute $ to part-timers.
President Horvath will share exact amounts to be distributed to full-timers and part-timers with Ziya and Tara today; campus President’s decision, UUP role is to consult when requested and to act as watch dog. President Horvath did consult with UUP in Labor Management; no one perspective stood out when we took a survey, so we didn’t advocate a particular method. Management will certify to UUP who got what.

You can find the rest of the questions on Workshop document in this link : Know Your Contract Workshop 2013

President: Ziya Arnavut

VP for Academics: Cynthia Smith

VP for Professionals: Idalia Torres

Secretary:   John Staples

Treasurer: Derrik Decker

Grievance Chair for Academics:  Stephen Kershnar

Grievance Chair for Professionals: Jefferson Westwood

Membership Development Officer:  Sandra Lewis

Officer for Contingents: Bruce Simon

Affirmative Action Officer: Junaid Zubairi

Amenities Officer: Melissa Sidor

Academic Delegates:  Ziya Arnavut, Cynthia Smith, Thomas Morrissey, Gerda Morrissey, Mac Nelson, Joy Bilharz,  Derrick Decker, Gurmukh Singh, Junaid Zubairi, Meral Arnavut

Professional Delegates: Idalia Torres, Michael Gerholdt, Sandra Lewis

United University Professions (UUP, Local 2190 of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO) is the union which represents the faculty and professional staff at the state-operated campuses of the State University of New York.UUP is the largest higher education union in the United States with over 30,000 members. UUP is affiliated with the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), with the National Education Association (NEA), and with the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). UUP negotiates agreements on behalf of its members with the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations and with SUNY.

The Fredonia Chapter of UUP represents the roughly 625 academics and professionals employed by the State University College of New York at Fredonia. UUP goals and activities include:

• Achieving improvements in salary, fringe benefits, working conditions and retirement programs
• Providing funding for professional growth and development through leaves, awards, conferences and other grant programs
• Obtaining state resources for the state university through effective legislative and political action
• Enhancing and preserving the quality of the university
• Providing information on labor unions, state work force and bargaining issues, higher education reform, college faculty concerns, and a variety of higher education topics