I leave UUP to assume the presidency of the National Labor College with mixed feelings.

On the one hand, I’m excited about the role I’ll play in helping to revitalize the American labor movement. The National Labor College is a key institution in providing organized labor with the tools it needs for the 21st century. I look forward to this challenge.

On the other, working with the UUP these last 20 years has meant more to me than I can ever say. I was proud to serve as chief negotiator, then vice president, and I’ve loved every minute of my presidency at UUP.

I met so many kind and dedicated people, and I don’t have to tell you all the things we’ve accomplished together over the years. You’ve read about them in The Voice. Today, UUP is known nationally and internationally as the most effective higher education union on the planet. I thank you all for the many contributions you made for UUP and SUNY. You’ll always be in my heart.

It’s been a wonderful experience, but the time has come to move on and to pass the torch to the next generation. With that in mind, I’ll give the rest of this space to the always insightful Lizzy. I’m sure you all remember Lizzy!

Thanks again.

Bill

Hi! I’m nine now but, as you know, I’ve worked with Bill since I was in diapers. During that time, I learned a whole lot about unions. Now that Bill is leaving, I want to tell some of the things I’ve learned.

First, as Bill always says, unions are all about collective action. Collective action works. I learned about collective action is school. Wagon trains and barn raisings are collective actions that helped build America. But that happened a long time ago. Unions taught me that helping each other is still part of the American experience. Just look at the many victories UUP’s collective actions have achieved over the years. Your union saved tenure, protected the hospitals, negotiated good contracts, got pension equity and also got some real good budgets for SUNY. The days of barn raisings and wagon trains are over, but the union marches on.

Second, I learned that unions operate on the belief that “a rising tide lifts all ships.” Unions made the middle class and it’s no coincidence that the income gap between the richest Americans and everybody else just keeps getting bigger the more union numbers shrink. Fortunately, SUNY employees have UUP. UUP lifts its members, then its members lift their communities, their communities lift their regions and the state. And when UUP does well, SUNY does well, and all the students who go to SUNY benefit. Bill can give you numbers. I don’t know the numbers so I’ll just say this instead: I hope to be one of those students pretty soon. Thanks for thinking of me, UUP.

Third, I also learned that unions are special organizations. They’re created and funded by the membership and they’re recognized and protected by law. That’s why unions are only beholden to the membership. This means they can become whatever the members want them to be. The union is the clay and its members are the potters. It’s up to us to shape that clay and make it work for all of us. That requires work and responsibility, which leads me to my last lesson.

Finally, unions exist — first and foremost — to serve their members. The members are the reason unions exist and leaders should never forget that fact! That’s why union leaders have a sacred obligation to aggressively represent the members’ interests. If the leaders don’t do that, the members should choose other leaders. But union members also have a sacred obligation as citizens of the union. They need to tell leaders what they want and if members don’t always agree on exactly what it is they want, they need to step up to talk about it in an open forum. It’s not always easy to do this, but that’s the price of democracy. And, as I learned, without democracy there is no real union.

I’ll close here. Just remember, don’t mourn, organize! I’ll miss you all.

Solidarity forever.

Lizzy