Election Day—Tuesday, November 3—is only 50 days away. That means we have just seven Saturdays left to shape the outcome of this election. We need to elect statewide leaders—including the Governor, Attorney General, and Comptroller—along with members of Congress and the state legislature who will defend public higher education and stand with the labor movement. The 2024 elections showed us that elections have real consequences for our institutions, our values, and our work. After two years of sustained attacks from Washington, now is the time to fightback! We can help shift the balance of power in Congress and strengthen our allies in the state legislature—but only if we take action.
Below are Labor Walks taking place this Saturday, September 19th in the following four regions: Capital District, Long Island, Mid-Hudson/Westchester and Rochester.
Please sign up for one of these Labor Walks. A strong UUP presence at these events will make a meaningful difference, so be sure to wear your red UUP T-shirt. If you need a shirt, email Teresa Swartz at tswartz@uupmail.org with the quantity and sizes you need, and we will send them to you.
Also, be sure to take pictures of UUP members at these events. Send photos to Mike Lisi (mlisi@uupmail.org)and Amy Sheldon(asheldon@uupmail.org) for use in UUP publications, the UUP website, and on social media. Please include the name of the event and any details about the event, when possible.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19th LABOR WALKS
CAPITAL DISTRICT
CDALF Labor Walk for Blake Gendebien & Carrie Woerner
Time: 11am – 1 pm Location: Glens Falls, NY Register HERE
We have received confirmation from the Office of the State Comptroller that UUP members’ retroactive pay and salary adjustments will be included in the October 7 payroll. The retroactive pay will be effective back to July 2, 2026.
UUP Susquehanna River Paddle-Saturday, September 26, 2026
Annual Paddle Event:
UUP Oneonta members and their guests are invited to participate in a Susquehanna River paddle on Saturday, September 26, 2026, launching at 1:00 PM and returning at 3:00 PM. This event is designed to strengthen chapter activism through a solidarity paddle and to deepen our community engagement by highlighting the importance of protecting the Susquehanna River.
Members who do not have a canoe or kayak, life jacket, or paddle may rent equipment at Canoe & Kayak Rentals and Sales in Portlandville, NY, located on NYS Highway 28 along the river. Rental policy information is available on their website: https://canoeandkayakrentals.com/
Both single and tandem canoes/kayaks are available for rental. Participants bringing their own equipment should meet at the NYS Highway 28 DEC canoe and fishing access pull-off, located a few hundred yards south of the rental business. Parking is free and plentiful at both locations.
This is a recreational, non‑competitive event. Paddlers will travel together at an easy pace. This stretch of the Susquehanna features still water with minimal current, making it an accessible paddle both upriver and downriver.
If weather conditions require rescheduling, all registered participants will be notified by email.
To sign up or ask questions, email UUP Oneonta Secretary and paddle coordinator Bill Simons at William.Simons@oneonta.edu.
Signup emails should include your name, email address, telephone number, the names of any guests, and whether you will bring your own canoe/kayak or rent one.
We are looking forward to another great academic year.
As a friendly reminder, we provide lunch at most (if not all) of our events! RSVPing at the Google Form links below helps us get an accurate count for lunch orders, so please fill them out if you intend to join us.
September
Chapter Meeting
September 9 || 12:00-1:00 pm Morris Conference Center, Le Café
As you know, one of our most significant victories in the past legislative session was winning the fight to “fix tier 6.” It took a great deal of work, as we had to convince the Governor and the legislature to undertake these reforms so as to benefit our younger members and to provide the means by which SUNY could attract and retain the best professionals and academics at our campuses and hospitals.
There has been a great deal of questions and some confusion about what we won. So, to help members get the clearest explanation of what the fix means, we’ve developed a one-page document that should be distributed far and wide at our chapters.
The document is attached. It delineates the statutory changes made to the Optional Retirement Program (ORP), the NYS Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) and the NYS & Local Retirement System (ERS) pension plans. Please note that the reforms made to Tier 6 are not uniform. If you have any questions, please email or call Chris Black, the Director of Legislative & Government Affairs. Chris can be reached via email at cblack@uupmail.org or via phone at 518-640-6600. (Chapter Presidents – feel free to share this document with members).
Thanks to all of you who took part in our legislative advocacy to get this win for our colleagues. It’s a big one and will benefit around 7,000 UUPers!
You are eligible to join as long as you became a member prior to June 5, 2026. Your union membership must be confirmed before you receive the zoom link.
Don’t know your membership number? Call 518-640-6624
You can still register without the number, but you will not receive the link until your membership has been confirmed. Thank you.
By Shirley A. Clark, Oneonta UUP Chapter President
The Spring 2026 Delegate Assembly saw a powerful turnout from the Oneonta UUP Chapter, demonstrating our chapter’s ongoing commitment to statewide union governance and member advocacy. Representing Oneonta were: President Shirley Clark, Vice President for Professionals Jessie Simpauco, Secretary William Simons, Acting Treasurer Michael McAvoy, Officer for Retirees Jerianne Jerminario, and Delegates Ed Wesnofske, Political Outreach Coordinator Ethan Fox, Achim Koeddermann, Matthew Unangst, Christine Edwards, Anthony Nichols, and Penina Kamina.
A Resolution Honoring the service of Richard F. Tyler, past Treasurer, was read by the Chapter President, Shirley Clark during the Spring DA. Held in Albany from April 23–25, the Assembly brought together UUP members from across the state to discuss priorities, vote on leadership, and strengthen our collective voice. While statewide leadership elections went uncontested, the Executive Board elections saw meaningful democratic engagement. Matt Smith of ESF unseated Susan Orr of Brockport for an academic seat, and Brendan McGovern secured a professional seat that had been vacated. These elections reflect the healthy, participatory nature of our union and the value we place on member-driven leadership.
Links to take the Administrative Assessment survey have been sent out to all active UUP Oneonta members via email.
Please check the email address you have on file with UUP Statewide for these communications and take the survey at your earliest convenience!
In order to ensure a high response rate, we will be sending out additional emails prompting our members to take the survey. If you have difficulty finding these emails or require a link to the survey, please contact us from the address that you have on file with the union:
Shortly, all members of the bargaining unit will receive the survey: Quality of Professional Life & Administrative Assessment: Part II. (Part I – Quality of Life was completed and then published in 2017). Working with Senior Chapter Officers, members of Executive Board, and other senior members, Robert Compton, the Interim VP for Academics created a streamlined survey. Ethan Fox (UUP Oneonta Communications Committee) and Dr. Jen-Ting Wang were gracious with their time, advice, and technical programing. Dissemination and tabulation of the survey will be electronic and guarantees the anonymity of the respondent. Our survey is periodic and ongoing, and this is our seventh iteration and the last complete survey response rate was 48.7% (full-time).
Those to be evaluated include the Offices of the President, Associate/Vice Presidents, and Associate/Deans across all divisions. The current or immediate occupant of the position will be identified in the survey. Please note that the draft survey below is provided for informational purposes below.
The rationale for the conduct of this survey rests on several factors, amongst them:
UUP has an obligation to periodically survey its members about the quality of professional life and the performance of campus administrators;
All employees, including administrators, should be accountable and they should have the opportunity to received direct feedback on their performance;
Subordinate personnel are continuously evaluated;
UUP Oneonta has an on-going and established process and practice of periodic assessment of both professional life and the administration; and
Assessments of professional life and the administration provide useful feedback for both the administration and for UUP.
Offices to be Evaluated
The administration offices to be evaluated and the current occupants are noted (in parenthesis) below:
Chief Executive and Administrative Officers
Office of the President (Alberto Cardelle)
Office of Employee Services (Dia Carleton)
Academic Affairs Division
Office of the Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs (Enrique Morales-Diaz)
Office of the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs (formerly Eileen Morgan-Zayachek)
Office of the Dean, School of Sciences (Tracy Allen)
Office of the Associate Dean, School of Sciences (Ursula Sanborn-Overby)
Office of the Dean, School of Education, Human Ecology, and Sports Studies (Mark Davies)
Office of the Associate Dean, School of Education, Human Ecology, and Sports Studies (Brian Beitzel)
Office of the Dean, School of Liberal Arts and Business (Jeanine Minge)
Office of the Associate Dean, School of Liberal Arts and Business (Brett Heindl)
Office of the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies (Gabriel Aquino)
Office of the Associate Dean of the School of Graduate Studies (Cynthia Falk)
Student Affairs Division
Office of the Vice President for Student Development (Tracy Johnson)
Office of the Assistant Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Initiatives (Karen Brown)
Office of the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, Dean of Students (Michael Kush)
Office of the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, Student Engagement (Jason Ostrowski)
Office of the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, Residential Experience and Housing (Thomas Ragland)
Finance and Administration Division
Office of the Vice President for Finance & Administration (formerly Julie Piscitello; Interim VP Rebecca O’Donnell)
Office of the Associate Vice President & Controller (formerly AVP Rebecca O’Donnell)
University Advancement Division
Office of the Associate Vice President for University Advancement (Paul Adamo)
Equity and Inclusion
Office of the Vice President for Equity & Inclusion (Bernadette Tiapo)
Facilities, Safety, and Physical Plant
Office of the Associate Vice President for Facilities and Planning (Lachlan Squair)
This rally joins a coordinated national day of action, led by the May Day Strong coalition, bringing together workers, immigrants, students, and families in a growing list of thousands of rallies, marches, walkouts, town halls, and teach-ins.
Families across the country are facing rising costs of housing, healthcare, groceries, and child care while billionaires and corporations attack our neighbors, shred government budgets to fill their pockets, and reshape the rules to protect their power.
Tax the rich: Calling for a shift in fiscal priority so that families and public services come before the accumulation of corporate fortunes.
Fund Education, Not War and Deportation: A rejection of the diversion of public funds toward militarization and deportation efforts.
Freedom to Teach, Research, and Learn For All: A firm defense of academic freedom and free elections in a political climate increasingly hostile to intellectual autonomy.
Together, we will take action alongside workers, parents, students, and community members who are uniting to demand better, safer, and stronger communities — places that put the needs of working families first. We’re standing up for thriving neighborhood public schools, affordable housing, and access to high-quality healthcare, prioritizing people over the profits of billionaires and their corporations.
This May Day, we will reshape how our nation responds to the needs of working families by centering their lived experiences. We are building momentum toward a future that protects the rights, dignity, and well-being of everyone who works for a living.
A commitment to nonviolent action is a core principle behind all May Day events. All hosts and participants are expected to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who may disagree.
PLEASE NOTE: VISITOR PARKING PASS RESTRICTIONS HAVE BEEN WAIVED FOR THIS EVENT FROM 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM!YOU DO NOT NEED A VISITORS’ PASS TO PARK ON CAMPUS BETWEEN THIS TIME FRAME! Parking in pre-allocated visitor spaces is preferred but not required.
The campus has accessible parking, entry, and ramps. We will also have some tables and chairs for attendees. Please see the Accessible Campus Routes Map, and contact the Office of Facilities at 607-436-3224 or at facilities@oneonta.edu for more detailed information.
We have signs and posters available to pick up at our Chapter Office in IRC 105, and will have more to distribute to rally participants the day of the event!
Are you a student or community member who wants to connect with public higher education workers to learn about our concerns and priorities?Sign up to be a UUP Oneonta Rapid Responder and you’ll receive late-breaking opportunities to support the local fights that our members care about! We’ll alert you to calls for political advocacy, labor solidarity actions, ways to fight for a strong UUP contract and much more.
April 9 Professionals Luncheon Noon – 1:00 pm || Morris Hall – Le Cafe UUP Statewide Vice President for Professionals Carolyn Kube to give update on Professional Survey
May 17 UUP Oneonta Chapter Picnic 11:00 am – 4:00 pm || College Camp BBQ Chicken, Corn, Baked Potato, Vegetable Lasagna, and more! A family-friendly event – bring up to 3 guests.
