Each year, hundreds of UUP members publish books and articles, and are recognized for accomplishments on campus and in their communities. The Voice is pleased to recognize three members in this issue.
Doug Skopp, a distinguished teaching professor of history at Plattsburgh, published the fictional novel Shadows Walking (CreateSpace, December 2010), after 20 years of research on two topics of personal interest: the ethics of public life and World War II. One reviewer called Shadows Walking “a well-researched and plausible story of an average man and his decent into evil.” Skopp donated the proceeds of several books purchased during the union’s annual Silent Auction, held to benefit the UUP College Scholarship Fund. Skopp is a member of UUP’s Scholarship Development and Selection committees.
Daniel Fay, a professor of accounting at Canton with more than four decades of service to the college and community, recently received a Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service, which provides systemwide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement. Fay has been a board member of the SUNY Canton College Foundation for more than 20 years. He has helped create student scholarships through two endowment funds, and is a founder of the college’s Investment Club, which analyzes and recommends investments for the College Foundation.
Joseph Damrath, an associate professor at SUNY Alfred, recently received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, which recognizes mastery of teaching techniques and superb skill in teaching. Damrath—a practicing attorney since 1981—teaches business law, estate planning, the legal environment of business, and ethics in leadership/management. He has been a Hornell City Court judge since 1989, and was named a distinguished jurist by The Center for Dispute Settlement in Rochester.
Linda Veraska and Ruth Meyerowitz had never been to summer school before. Both were glad they went this summer.
Veraska, the System Administration Chapter’s part-time concerns representative, and Meyerowitz, a Buffalo Center Chapter member, used some vacation days in July to attend the United Association of Labor Education’s Northeast Regional Summer School for Union Women. The theme of the 36th annual summit was “Fired Up for Change!”
The women chose to attend the five-day program, held July 17-22 on the Rutgers campus in New Jersey, to learn more about the labor movement, to sharpen their leadership skills and to learn new techniques to get more UUPers involved in the workings of the union.
“I know one thing that I will do is to reach out, one-on-one, to members to get them to become involved,” said Veraska, program officer for Turkey in SUNY’s Office of Global Affairs. “That was a big take-away for me. It’s all about personal connections; that’s the most effective way to get people involved.”
Well worthwhile
“It was fabulous,” said Meyerowitz, an American studies professor at UBuffalo. “I’ve wanted to go since I saw a film about Bryn Mawr summer schools (for workers) held in the 1930s, so I was really excited about this opportunity to do more leadership training. It was great because I learned techniques to involve more faculty in the union.”
Each year, the seminar brings together rank-and-file union women to learn more about the labor movement and develop skills to make them more active, effective union leaders and members.
More than 100 women from across the Northeast went to the Summer School, most of them from non-education unions such as the Transport Union Workers of America and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. It was a very diverse group of women, which made being there even more beneficial, Meyerowitz and Veraska agreed.
“It was a different kind of union environment and I really enjoyed it,” Meyerowitz said.
Women only
That the event was solely for women made a difference; the gathering allowed participants to discuss issues unique to them. Veraska and Meyerowitz said they were intrigued and inspired by the “war stories” told by a female plumber, one of just five females in a union of about 4,000 members.
“Hearing about her struggles gave you courage,” said Veraska. “She reminded me of the courage women need to have on a daily basis.”
At the summit, Veraska and Meyerowitz took part in several seminars dealing with issues facing unions, such as educating the media about what unions do and fighting stereotypes that union members are overpaid and overcompensated.
More than book smart
“I learned as much outside just talking to people as I learned inside the class-room,” Veraska said. “We’re different in so many ways, but the struggles we go through are the same.”
Other topics covered included dealing with intergenerational issues in unions, and a fundamental shift that’s pushing unions to focus more on organizing and mobilizing members rather than the traditional role of a service organization.
A memorial commemorating the 100th anniversary of New York City’s tragic Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire was also held. The women were given names of one of the fire’s 146 victims, which were read during a candle-lighting ceremony at the end of the program.
The memorial spurred Veraska to go to the public library and borrow a book about Frances Perkins, a champion of organized labor in the 1930s and 1940s.
“It was a fantastic experience and I’d do it again,” Meyer-owitz said of the Summer School. “It wasn’t a vacation, it was work. But it was fun.”
Welcome back wishes from the UUP Benefit Trust Fund to all of our new and returning members and their families. I hope you enjoyed your summer. During my campus visits this year, I had several requests to inform you about a great benefit that is free to eligible active and retiree members.
The progam, Assist America, is a world-wide emergency travel assistance program that you have access to as a UUP member through the Unum Group. Should a medical emergency occur while traveling—for business or pleasure, in a foreign country or just 100 miles or more from home—you, your spouse and your dependent children are just a phone call away from help.
At any time of the day, all you need to do is contact Assist America to receive professional and experienced medical care.
It is easy to access this assistance. Simply put your Unum emergency travel assistance card in your wallet before you leave. The card contains toll-free numbers in the U.S. and overseas, as well as an e-mail address for medical services. It also includes your personal reference number.
Also, don’t forget to visit Assist America online (www.assistamerica.com) for the latest in travel alerts, articles and other relevant travel information. Type in your reference number for access to:
• Assist Alert, an e-mail that notifies you about the latest U.S. State Department travel warnings;
• articles and pre-trip informa-tion about the country to which you’ll be traveling; and
• The Traveler, an informational bulletin on security, medical and travel-related issues.
To receive an Unum emergency travel assistance card, call the UUP Benefit Trust Fund at (800) 887-3863 or e-mail your request to the fund at benefits@uupmail.org.
— Doreen Bango, manager, UUP Member Benefits and Services
The world in which we live today is vastly different than that of 25 or 30 years ago when it comes to gathering information. Gone are the days of having to pour through printed manuals to find the knowledge you seek.
The Internet allows us to access an almost unlimited amount of data at the click of a mouse; it’s important, therefore, to know where to go to quickly gather information that will help you make the best decisions for you and your family.
Are you aware of the many features on the NYSUT Member Benefits website designed to improve your life and that of your loved ones?
The following are 10 reasons why you should check out the Member Benefits website—memberbenefits.nysut.org—to get the most out of your NYSUT membership.
1. Legal Services: For a small annual fee, the Legal Service Plan provides personal legal advice and letters written on your behalf; participants are also entitled to receive a simple will, health care proxy, living will, and durable power of attorney.
2. Insurance for Members: Get details about a variety of insurance plans available for you and your family, including life, disability, and personal property and liability such as auto, home and more.
3. Financial Services: Learn more about our endorsed financial counseling, online banking, mortgage services, credit report monitoring and credit counseling services.
4. Discounts & Travel: Members enjoy savings through one or more of our highly regarded endorsed discount programs, including vacation packages, car and truck rentals, airline flights, hotels, theme park admissions and various online shopping opportunities.
5. MAP (Member Alert Program) Sign-up: Join the free MAP e-mail service and be among the first to find out about new program offerings, updates and more.
6. Payroll & Pension Deduction: Use payroll or pension deduction for NYSUT Member Benefits-endorsed programs to enjoy convenience, additional coverage and/or discounted premiums.
7. Member Center: This password-protected area of the website contains information for NYSUT members only. Get access to special discount codes, website links and print-and-go discounts.
8. New Members: New members can find out details about the special programs and services available to them.
9. My Program Participation: Members can look up their individual information about the voluntary insurance, financial and legal programs they participate in.
10. Additional Member Services: Members have access to free workshops and presentations along with helpful consumer guides designed to make them better informed consumers.
Questions? Contact Member Benefits at memberbenefits.nysut.org or at (800) 626- 8101 for detailed information about each of the above features and much more. For information about this program or about contractual endorsement arrangements with providers of endorsed programs, please contact NYSUT Member Benefits. Agency fee payers to NYSUT are eligible to participate in NYSUT Member Benefits-endorsed programs.
Pet lovers need worry no more—there are two AFT+ Member Benefits programs that will help keep pets happy and healthy, and more money in members’ pockets. For as low as $11.95 a month, AFT+ pet insurance can protect members against large, unexpected veterinary expenses. Policies include older pets, accident-only coverage and more.
For more information, call (866) 473-7387.
AFT+ also offers a Pet Assure veterinary care benefit. Members can save 25 percent at participating veterinarians on preventative care, shots, lab work, surgery, X-rays, medications and more.
All pets are covered, including exotics and horses, and there are no exclusions for older pets.
For more details, call (888) 789-7387 and use Code UP2003.
Information on these and other AFT+ programs can be found on the AFT website at www.aft.org/benefits.
If all goes as planned, today’s active UUP members will be tomorrow’s retiree members.
But planning for retirement isn’t always easy; there are any number of potential pitfalls that could affect the cost or amount of coverage. Often overlooked: COBRA benefits.
With COBRA (the Consolidation Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act), eligible retirees can receive the same level of health, dental and vision benefits they had as an active member, for up to 18 months—as long as they act quickly. A member’s decision to take advantage of COBRA benefits must be made within 60 days of the date they receive their COBRA notices from the state Department of Civil Service for health benefits and from UUP for dental and vision benefits. Those notices are mailed out the last week of the month the retiree’s employment coverage ends.
“Many of our members don’t realize that COBRA coverage is available to them as retirees,” said Doreen Bango, UUP manager of Member Benefits and Services. “Many think the program is only for people who have no medical coverage after losing their job or some other qualifying event. Knowing what’s out there could end up saving them some money.”
Group health coverage for COBRA participants is usually more expensive than coverage for active employees, since the employer often pays a portion of the premium for active employees. COBRA participants generally pay the entire premium. However, COBRA coverage is ordinarily less expensive than individual health, dental and vision coverage.
Get more on COBRA at http://1.usa.gov/r0dk5b or by calling Civil Service at (800) 833-4344.
Recently retired members may want to use their COBRA notices as a signal for what to do regarding dental and vision coverage, Bango said. UUP sends out a summary of the available dental and vision plans, as well as enrollment deadlines and eligibility. For example, UUP dental and vision programs are only available to UUP members who sign up to continue their membership as a retiree. The $34 annual fee also entitles retirees to $1,000 of life insurance coverage, accidental death and dismemberment insurance of up to $1,500, discounted programs and services, and dozens of benefits programs offered by UUP’s affiliates, NYSUT and AFT.
Thanks to UUP, members not yet retired but looking for information are only a click away from helpful resources. Go to www.uupinfo.org, pull down the Benefits tab at the top of the home page, and scroll down to Retirement.
The site offers easy access to: a pre-retirement checklist; information on continuing health, dental and vision coverage in retirement; Medicare coverage; and tips on estimating the value of sick leave credit.
Also on the site are UUP retiree membership applications and retiree beneficiary cards.
In addition, the union’s statewide Committee on Active Retired Membership produced a booklet, “Organizing Your Vital Records” that is also available at www.uupinfo.org. Find it under Reports/Guides on the left hand side of the home page. The booklet includes health care proxy and living will forms, which may make it easier for family members to manage the difficult decisions about treatment options and other health care wishes.
Contact the UUP Benefit Trust Fund at (800) 887-3863 for more information.
Walter Apple has been hired as UUP retiree member services coordinator. He replaces Anne Marine, who retired in April after 12 years of service to the union and its retiree members.
Apple comes to UUP most recently from a temporary position at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, where he worked as an administrative assistant in human resources. Prior to that, Apple worked for nearly two decades at Aetna, starting out as a claims benefits consultant before working his way up to senior customer service representative. In the latter role, he served as concierge for eight direct accounts, as a mentor to represent-atives to increase performance, and as a liaison for the company’s benefits, eligibility and technical divisions.
“Walter comes to UUP with 18 years of customer service experience in health care and dental,” said UUP?President Phil Smith. “He also is knowledgeable in COBRA, HIPAA, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and short- and long-term disability regulations.
“He will be a great asset to our members who are looking toward retirement and to those who are currently retired.”
Committee on Active Retired Membership (COARM) Chair Judy Wishnia and COARM Southern Tier Region Chair Jo Schaffer were involved in the interview process.
In my September 2010 column, I started the year by congratulating the thousands of UUPers who stepped up and spoke out against the so-called Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act (PHEEIA), a threat UUP played a large part in averting thanks to your hard work.
To close out the year, I want to thank you again, this time for your tireless dedication to UUP in 2010-11.
It’s been an interesting year, to say the least.
We faced challenge after challenge and fortunately won more battles than we lost, including a big one: the restoration of $60 million in state aid for the state’s three teaching hospitals—SUNY’s first legislative restoration in a decade.
PRESSING THE FLESH
That victory didn’t come without lots of hard work and worn shoe leather, both graciously donated by 119 UUPers, many who made multiple trips to Albany to meet with lawmakers. From late January through late April, members logged 426 legislative visits; they met with 58 of the Senate’s 62 senators and 128 of the Assembly’s 150 members, including every person on the Assembly’s Higher Education Committee.
And legislators listened when UUPers advocated for SUNY. Besides securing the hospital aid, UUP helped enact legislation allowing Upstate Medical Center to acquire Syracuse’s Community General hospital—and bring Community General employees into the union.
Be assured that we’ll also continue to make our opinions known regarding the new NYSUNY 2020 proposal. I have a number of serious reservations about it, as you’ll read about later in this issue.
SPREADING THE WORD
While legislators didn’t return any of the $100 million in funding reductions to SUNY in the 2011-12 budget, many of them understand that the University cannot withstand more cuts; SUNY has been slashed by nearly $700 million over the past three years.
Many of them got the message through our effective statewide multimedia ad campaign, which included television and newspaper ads, billboards, Twitter and Facebook plugs, and the revival of our SaveSUNY.org microsite, which SUNY students and supporters used to send more than 10,000 electronic faxes and petition signatures to their state representatives.
Our message—to think ahead and invest in higher ed—is one that we’ll be repeating to lawmakers over the summer and throughout the year.
TAKING CARE OF OUR OWN
We also saw the compassion and caring UUPers have for their sisters and brothers as the union battled fiercely to protect members in the tiny New York State Theatre Institute (NYSTI) Chapter. Though the union fought valiantly to preserve funding for NYSTI, it was gutted by state budget cuts and forced to close.
And members watched with anger and frustration as conservative Republicans in states like Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida and others blatantly tried to bust public unions for political gain while using public workers as scapegoats for million-dollar budget deficits—a move castigated by President Obama himself. UUPers saw through the ruse and participated in pro-union rallies across New York, including the huge “We Are One” rally in Times Square.
GET READY TO BE READY
We will face many more challenges in the fall, including what we expect to be prolonged and difficult negotiations for new contract, NYSUNY 2020 or yet another SUNY flexibility proposal, and battles to protect our members at Stony Brook HSC and SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn.
As always, we’re going to need you to step up and speak out. Your support is what makes UUP strong, and we’re going to need that strength to take on the trials and tribulations of 2011-12.
On a closing note that’s also a new beginning, I want to say thank you to the delegates that elected me to another two-year term as UUP president. I am honored and I am looking forward to working with all of you to meet the challenges ahead.
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