Dear Colleagues:
The final hours of the legislative session resulted in the passage of three key pieces of legislation for UUP: the Maintenance of Effort Bill (S-281A LaValle/A-5370A Glick); a bill that requires the Governor to provide a 5-year capital plan for SUNY (S-5217 LaValle/A-7388 Glick); and a bill that will prohibit the state from sweeping outstanding SUNY hospital account receivables, such as tuition, fees, and hospital charges into the general fund (S-4404B DeFrancisco/A-7252B Magnarelli).
UUP received support from both sides of the aisle in the Assembly and Senate. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan were staunch advocates on behalf of UUP’s priorities and we are thankful for their continued support. Getting the legislature to pass this legislation is a huge victory.
These results could not have been achieved without the pressure that UUP, NYSUT and our advocates put on the Legislature. These gains are the result of extensive commitment of time, energy and resources to outreach. It is for these reasons that outreach is so crucial and important for the future of our union. This is why we need to encourage all members to get involved in this important and critical work.
Successes such as these do not come easy. UUP has been fighting for these issues—we’ve spent the last four years pushing for the MOE bill, for example—day in and day out for years. Getting the Legislature to sign off on them are major victories for us that will benefit our members as unionists and SUNY employees.
In Solidarity,
Fred Kowal