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 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’s academic medical centers and campuses.
UUP President Fred Kowal introduced that plan during his remarks at the January 2021 Delegate Assembly, a virtual event held Jan. 22-23. “UUP HEALS” stands for Healthcare, Education, Access, Leadership and Sustainability, and includes the union’s first-ever federal legislative agenda, along with a state legislative agenda. The topics summarize the union’s 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.
“We in UUP have undertaken the most aggressive campaign to generate an ambitious and far-reaching legislative agenda in our history,” Kowal told the 232 delegates who logged into the DA. “If we are to defeat COVID and emerge as a more just society, we can’t 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.”
WORKLOAD A SPECIAL CONCERN
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 “make sure you’re not running yourself into the ground.”
“We’ve been really pouring into academic issues,” said Jamie Dangler, statewide vice president for academics. “We are urging every chapter to take action and mobilize around workload.”
UUP LOOKING BEYOND PANDEMIC
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’s chief negotiator in the next contract talks. The current agreement with the state runs to July 1, 2022.
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.
RESOLUTIONS REFLECT EFFICIENCY, SOCIAL JUSTICE
Delegates also voted on several resolutions. Those that delegates approved included:
- An amendment to the UUP Constitution to prohibit retired members from holding statewide UUP offices or Executive Board positions, unless they retire during such an elective office. In that case, they can finish their term.
- An update of certain UUP fiscal policies, and policies on expense reimbursements. The changes were proposed to clarify certain existing policies on travel, and to conform with common practices and make certain policies consistent with the UUP Constitution.
- To support the organizing effort around the Make Amazon Pay movement, a coalition calling for fair labor practices at the Amazon corporation.
- To urge the SUNY Board of Trustees to divest funds from the TIAA investment plan that support fossil fuels and agribusinesses.
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.
“Since COVID has hit, we’ve actually built up the number of allies we’re working with while also deepening the relationship with these allies,” Kowal told delegates. “Many 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’s the means by which we can keep the fire of hope alive.”