UUP Cortland Chapter

from LEFT, BEHIND CORTLAND BANNER: Claire Kuiken, Chloe Kuiken,
John Kuiken, Josephine Kuiken in stroller), Jo Schaffer (holding 
end of banner), Gretchen Douglas, Michelle Kelly (holding up sign), 
Bill Buxton, Wayne Douglas (in tan UUP hat behind), Eileen Landy, 
Tim Emerson (obscured by Eileen, holding up sign), Jen Drake, 
Laura Rhodes (Potsdam chapter president), Cody Westbrook,(son 
of Joe W. - obscured by Laura Davies), Laura and John Davies with 
their children from left to right are Addie, Mac, John Henry, 
Gilly, and Cate. Joe Westbrook and Anne Wiegard. 

SUNY Cortland students and their advisor, UUPer Marc Dearstyne, right, meet with Assemblyman Will Barclay to request additional funding for SUNY’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC).

The Cortland students were among nearly 300 students from 16 SUNY campuses that traveled to Albany Feb. 12 for UUP’s EOP/EOC Advocacy Day.

The students, along with UUP members involved with the programs, visited the offices of more than 100 lawmakers and urged them to restore a $632,400 reduction in EOP funding in the 2014-15 Executive Budget. The students also pushed lawmakers to increase funding for EOC. State aid for EOC is unchanged in the proposed spending plan.

EOP students, such as Sasha Miller of Geneseo and Demar Harvey of UBuffalo, talked about the opportunities EOP and EOC have given them and how the programs have changed their lives.

“College wouldn’t be a reality for me without EOP,” Miller said. “With the financial support and counseling they provide, I feel I can succeed.”

“Being involved with EOC started me on the track to secure stability in my life,” said Harvey, who said he lost his job and was unsure where to turn before enrolling in the program.

Students followed the advice of UUP President Fred Kowal, who told them to speak from the heart when talking to legislators.

“These lawmakers want to hear your personal stories and what these programs mean to you,” Kowal said, as he greeted students prior to their meetings with lawmakers. “Don’t underestimate the power of your story.”

UUPer Elyzabeth Wengert, director of SUNY Oswego’s EOP, explained the importance of the program to an aide for Assemblyman Bill Nojay. The program receives about 2,000 applications each year, but only has resources to enroll 300 students.

“We are turning away 1,700 (applicants) each year,” she said. “We are changing the trajectory of their future.”

EOP provides academic and career counseling and financial aid to students from low-income families. EOCs help prepare students for college or vocational training programs.

UUP Cortland Chapter member Marc Dearstyne asks students Adonis Vasquez and Victoria Jean to sign a petition that asks the campus president to increase the salary for part-time academic faculty.

The two were among nearly 1,000 students, faculty and staff who signed the Cortland petition during Campus Equity Week Oct. 28 – Nov. 1.

“We got an overwhelmingly supportive response from the students as soon as they understood that most of their professors are off the tenure track and making inadequate wages,” said Anne Wiegard, Cortland UUP Chapter Secretary and a member of UUP’s statewide Executive Board.

Cortland was among several UUP chapters conducting activities to mark Campus Equity Week, a national week of action that seeks to improve working conditions for contingent faculty. According to an analysis of UUP membership data, more than 44 percent of SUNY faculty serve in contingent positions that do not allow for continuing or permanent appointment.

UUP President Fred Kowal had delegates warmly receive his first address as president before a UUP delegate assembly.

In a rousing speech at the 2013 Fall Delegate Assembly in Saratoga Springs Oct. 4, Kowal touched on UUP’s comprehensive plan in response to job cuts at SUNY Downstate. He also called for UUP members to take the lead on efforts to address increasing privatization threats in SUNY.

“It is a struggle for the soul of this university we have built and the state we serve,” Kowal said.

In addition to his previously announced plan to have the union’s outreach program emphasize a regional approach instead of a strict focus on Albany, Kowal said UUP will push its own plan to save SUNY Downstate as well as fighting to protect SUNY’s other teaching hospitals in Stony Brook and Syracuse. Kowal also promised to find the best ways to increase the salaries and benefits for contingent employees in SUNY and across the nation.

“It is a question of justice. It is a question of right. This union will fight this fight because we must. We are in this together, and we have got to get to work,” he said.

The DA attracted 325 delegates, one of the largest number to attend a Fall DA. The event featured a meeting of academic and professional delegates, who met to discuss concerns about Open SUNY and Seamless Transfer.

The DA also included a series of committee meetings. Delegates approved several resolutions, including one affirming support for continuing the fight and building community alliances to save SUNY Downstate, and another endorsing the Mayday $5K Campaign in support of raising part-time employee salaries. Delegates also approved several special orders of business, including ones that honored deceased chapter leaders Larry Ashley, Del Janik and Jack Morganti.

On Saturday, August 24, 2013, Americans from all over our nation will gather in Washington, DC to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, which featured the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech. Information on Transportation

In light of the recent Supreme Court decision overturning significant components of the Voting Rights Act and the recent court decision in Florida, the August 24th March promises to be an important event.

We urge UUP members to stand with our brothers and sisters from around the country as we march in support of civil rights.  We also ask that you share this information with as many of your colleagues as possible. The event will begin at the Lincoln Memorial at 10:00 AM and participants will march from the Lincoln Memorial to the King Memorial for the formal program at noon.

Transportation is available through NYSUT regional offices. A list of offices and contact information is attached.  There will be no charge to ride a NYSUT bus or to participate in the event, but you must call your NYSUT regional office to reserve a seat.  Please plan to bring your own food.

We will send any additional information as it becomes available. Also, if you plan on attending, or if you have names of others from your chapter attending, please email fkowal@uupmail.org with those names. This will allow us to keep track of the number of UUP members headed to Washington. We look forward to seeing many of you in DC!

Every year, the United Association for Labor Education (UALE) sponsors a Northeast Regional Summer School for Union Women Leaders.  This year, the UALE summer school/conference took place at Cornell from July 20^th through July 25th.  Cortland UUP Delegate Michelle Kelly sent information about the school to the statewide UUP officers, suggesting that a UUP delegation would be appropriate. (Photo, left to right: Michelle Kelly, Jen Drake, Anne Wiegard and Colleen Kattau)

As it turned out, three of the four members of UUP’s delegation were from Cortland: Michelle Kelly, Jen Drake, and Anne Wiegard.  The fourth UUP representative was Lori Nash from the Oswego chapter.  Another UUP member from Cortland, Colleen Kattau, participated during the final two days of the five-day session, playing her guitar and singing with Bev Grant, a longtime activist and songwriter.  Music was an integral part of the entire program.  Howard Botwinick, also from Cortland, attended the multi-media labor history presentation on the final night of the summer school, at which Jen Drake and Anne Wiegard performed speaking parts.

The UALE Summer School attracted women from many different unions across the region, from K-12 and higher education to transit workers, day care providers, auto workers, food service employees, county, city and municipal employees, etc..  Each student had pre-selected the “courses” (workshops) she wished to attend: one that lasted four days and two workshops that lasted two days.  Everyone was enrolled in a “Leadership Skills” workshop that spanned five days.  There were several plenary sessions during which all the students had the opportunity to interact.

The UUP participants noted that being able to network directly with women in leadership positions in other unions was perhaps the most valuable aspect of the experience.  Any woman who is interested in exploring her potential as a union leader would definitely benefit from attending next year.  UALE also functions as a clearinghouse for information about all sorts of continuing educational opportunities in the field of labor, from one-day workshops to full-blown graduate programs.

To learn more about the summer school offerings from UALE, visit this website: http://uale.org/womens-schools/upcomingcurrent-classes

Thousands gather by the state capitol Saturday, June 8th calling for a change in the state’s public school system.

Representing SUNY Cortland in pictures above – Left to Right: Nancy Kane, John Fracchia, Rickie McClure, Marc Dearstyne, John Driscoll, Kathy Lattimore, Jen Drake, Dave Ritchie and Bill Buxton.

Representing SUNY Cortland not pictured: Dave Ritchie, Kathy Lattimore, Jamie Dangler, Jo Schaffer, Anne Wiegard, Jim Ramsey, Ben Patrick, Kendal Patrick, Mario Hernandez, Dorothy Troike, Susana Davidenko and Maria Mandolesi.

ALBANY, N.Y. — The message was clear Saturday. The protesters — teachers, parents, students — said they’ve had enough.

“We need to do better. We need to do better for our kids,” said Joe Cantafio from the West Seneca Teachers’ Association.

Cantafio joined thousands from all over the state, calling for changes in the public education system.

“This is about making the Common Core work. More importantly, this is about access, things like quality, and issues like fair and equitable funding,” said Richard Iannuzzi, NYSUT president.

The driving force for many at the Capitol this weekend is the state’s emphasis on standardized testing.

“Students cannot be placed into a number,” said Cantafio.

Students grades three through eight took tests based on Common Core standards in April. Some students said they were not prepared for it.

“A lot of stuff on the tests were stuff I didn’t learn,” said 5th grader, Reilly Malloy.

Some teachers say they did not receive proper guidance from the state on how to implement the Common Core, which the state adopted in 2011.

“I think if the state is going to make demands and ask requirements, you can’t ask local districts to figure out those demands by themselves,” said Iannuzzi.

Teachers will be evaluated based on how students do on these tests. In fact, 40 percent of their evaluation will be based on standardized test scores. It’s a system many say is unfair.

“I can tell you that when you see students interacting in the classroom, that is much more indicative of their learning,” said Katie Ferguson, a 2nd grade teacher in Schenectady.

And, others called for investments in public education, specifically higher education.

“When I started in U. Albany, it was around 50% of the school’s budget came from state support. It’s down to around 18 percent. That’s a scary number,” said Thomas Hoey, vice president of U. Albany Professionals.

“This isn’t only about dollars. Getting it right is what will make the difference,” said Iannuzzi.