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Urgent – Last Minute Advocacy Day (6/6)

Dear Colleagues:

On June 6, UUP will be holding its one and only Albany advocacy day during the post-budget time period prior to the end of session on June 23rd.  As has been the case for the past several years, we have used the post-budget time period, brief though it may be, to try and win more victories in our advocacy efforts.  This year, the focus is on an enhanced maintenance of effort provision, a protection of DSH funding for SUNY hospitals, some version of transparency legislation governing the Foundations, and several items related to Teacher Education.

I realize that this is rather short notice; however, it’s extremely difficult to schedule an advocacy day given how changeable the situation in the legislature is at this time of the session.  To put it simply, it’s very difficult to know which pieces of legislation are actually going to make it to the Assembly and Senate.  Therefore, we have to make what amounts to a last minute decision. Having said that, the issues we are focusing on are vital to our membership, have a very good chance of progressing through the legislature and therefore need as big an advocacy effort from us as possible.

Go to https://uuphost.org/myuup/Registration/ADVOCACY/RegForm.php to register.  We will have a briefing session prior to your appointments.  Please recruit as many members as possible to join us.

In Solidarity,
Fred

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Negotiations Bulletin Posted

Dear Chapter Leaders:

Please go to the following link for the latest update about negotiations:
https://uuphost.org/myuup/MembersOnly/check.php

The site is password-protected. Go to http://uupinfo.org/negotiations/index.php to find out how to access the site.

Please inform your chapter members that this update has been posted in the Members-Only section of the UUP website.

In Solidarity,
Fred Kowal

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End of Year UUP Membership Meeting and Luncheon

End of Year Invitation

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The Echo is now available online!

Spread the word! The new issue of The Echo, UUP’s membership e-magazine, is available online.

Check out the flipbook here:
http://uupinfo.org/flipbook/EchoVol3Issue4/files/#/0

Check out the PDF here:
http://uupinfo.org/flipbook/pdf/TheEchoVol3No4.pdf

In this issue, read about UUP’s role at the 2017 NYSUT Representative Assembly, and former UUP VP for Professionals Philippe Abraham being elected as a NYSUT statewide vice president. Statewide Secretary Eileen Landy was honored as NYSUT’s Higher Education Member of the Year at the RA.

Also in this issue, UUP President Fred Kowal’s take on the new state budget, and articles on contract negotiations, the constitutional convention, online education/FACT2 symposium, and teacher education.

The issue spotlights three deserving UUP members: John Campbell and Anne Curtis from the University at Buffalo, and SUNY Canton’s Amanda Stopa.

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New Yorkers should Vote No on the Nov. 7 referendum to hold a constitutional convention

NoNYconcon4newsletters

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NYC March for Science – THIS SATURDAY!

Hi All –

All NYC chapters, friends, and family are invited to join the Downstate chapter at the NYC March for Science being held this Saturday, April 22nd in Manhattan. Details can be found in the attached flyer.

NYC March for Science

You are encouraged to wear your UUP apparel (t-shirts, hats, etc.) to the event.
We look forward to having you join us on Saturday!

In Solidarity –
Rowena

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Budget Summary – High Points

Dear Colleagues:

As I’m sure you know by now, we have a State budget for fiscal year 2017-2018.  Though we were not successful at reaching our ambitious goals in advocating for major investment in full-time faculty and staff and extensive support for our teaching hospitals, the budget that was finalized over the weekend presents us with some good news and a foundation upon which to build moving forward.  Of course as is always the case, good news is mixed with some cause for concern.

First, the Governor’s Excelsior Scholarship program was passed.  We applaud the Governor for this emphasis on access to public higher education for New Yorkers.  It should also bring about improved student numbers at SUNY campuses where enrollment has suffered a bit.  The challenge of course is that funding to support these students will only arrive at the campuses after a student has successfully completed 30 credits in a given year.  But it is a step in making SUNY more affordable and accessible.

Second, we were able to, at long last, convince the Governor and Legislature to pass maintenance of effort provisions in this year’s budget. This is a major victory.  However, it means that the only requirement going forward is that the Governor submit a budget in future years that includes no cuts to SUNY.  As such, it guarantees that SUNY will not be subject to the kind of cuts we have seen over the past seven years.

Third, though we opposed tuition increase, the last several years this year the Governor, the Legislature and SUNY have all come to the conclusion that a second rational tuition plan is necessary.  The budget authorizes the Board of Trustees to raise tuition no more than $200 per year over the next four years.  For UUP, the most important component of this part of the budget is the requirement that the funds be used to hire full-time faculty and staff that are in our bargaining unit.  Further, the Chancellor must report publicly to the Governor and the Legislature every year as to how tuition dollars are being spent.

Fourth, regarding the SUNY hospitals, though the budget re-instates $9 million in the state subsidy going to the hospitals, that only represents half of what was cut by the Governor. At the same time, we were able to secure language that will potentially protect DSH payments which the hospitals desperately need.

Fifth, joining with our coalition partners in the labor movement, Governor’s Cuomo’s attacks on retiree health care benefits were defeated handily.  This victory shows the power of coalition advocacy.

As we have stated to the press, the budget is a good start. Moving forward, in the post budget part of the session our focus will be on ensuring adequate and sustained DSH payments to the hospitals, and a strong effort to open SUNY Foundations to full transparency.  We will also be developing strategies that will ensure adequate funding to grow faculty and staff numbers to meet the demand created by the Excelsior program.  Similarly, we will plan ways to expand the maintenance of effort to include collectively bargained salary increases, fringe benefit costs at the hospitals, and debt servicing at the hospitals.

We are continuing to study the budget to ensure that we have the fullest possible understanding of all its aspects and how they impact our members.  I will provide full information on the budget and our political advocacy work moving forward at the Spring Delegate Assembly just three weeks away.

Please accept my deepest thanks for all the work so many of you have done to ensure that, in these very challenging times, we were able to do as well as we have in this budget.

In Solidarity,
Fred

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New Negotiations Bulletin Posted

The latest negotiations update has been posted in the “Members Only” section of the UUP website at the following link: https://uuphost.org/myuup/MembersOnly/check.php

The site is password-protected. Go to http://uupinfo.org/negotiations/index.php to find out how to access the site.

In Solidarity,
Philippe Abraham
Chief Negotiator & Vice President for Professionals
United University Professions
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Sign up to March for Science & order UUP shirts/mugs

Go to the link below to:

* Sign up for the April 22 March for Science – Washington and NYS satellite marches.
* Order a UUP March for Science shirt or mug – Order by April 9 to ensure delivery before the march.

http://uupinfo.org/defendunion/marchforscience.php

UUP is an official partner of the March for Science, which will be held Saturday, April 22 in Washington, D.C., and in more than 400 satellite locations that day across the U.S. and worldwide. Information about the Washington and NYS satellite marches is available on UUP’s March for Science web page.

There is no UUP funding for this event. Contact your chapter about possible carpool information.

In Solidarity,
Fred

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March for Science

All,

Attached is a chapter-specific flier telling members about the March for Science satellite march(es) in your area. UUP is urging members to attend a march in support of scientists and the public they serve around the nation and the world, and to alert the public to recent efforts to suppress scientific research and to censor researchers.

M4SflierSchoharie (1)

The flier includes active links to:
1) a sign-up form. Please remind your members who attend any march—in New York, another state or in Washington, D.C., to sign up on the UUP site (national march organizers have asked for our help in determining the total number of marchers).

2) UUP-specific March for Science merchandise: one for shirts (short- and long-sleeved T-shirts, crew-neck sweatshirts and hoodies; another for coffee mugs. Proceeds benefit future March for Science events. The deadline to order and get the merchandise in time for the march is April 9.

3) a UUP web page that includes all of the links, as well as a list of NYS marches for UUPers to attend. Coming to the page will be a list of UUP speakers for satellite marches in 12 areas across the state. Also on the site is information on how chapters and groups can request rally signs from UUP headquarters.

PLEASE WIDELY DISTRIBUTE THIS FLIER, and please forward to your chapter newsletter editor and webmaster.

For changes to the flier, please contact me at kmattiso@uupmail.org

ALL SCIENCE MATTERS!

in solidarity,
karen mattison
uup associate director of communications
518.640.6626
800.342.4206