In January, four UUPers and a local businessman met with Republican state Sen. James Seward to highlight the union’s legislative agenda. They stressed that SUNY cannot weather any further budget cuts without jeopardizing student access and the high-quality public education New Yorkers rely on.

“Sen. Seward seemed to understand the general impact of the cuts to SUNY and expressed concern” with a number of the governor’s proposals, said Cortland UUPer David Ritchie. Ritchie was joined by fellow unionists Jamie Dangler, Craig Little and Dawn Van Hall, and King’s Den hair salon owner John Wetherell.

According to Ritchie, Sen. Seward said he doubts the Legislature will support the proposal to eliminate the 3 percent salary increase previously negotiated by the state’s public employees unions. UUPers expect to see that raise July 2 or Sept. 1.

“We used this opportunity to make sure Sen. Seward understood the full scope of the issues and UUP’s positions on them,” Dangler said. “I think it is important for legislators to get information from us. We work here and devote a huge portion of our lives to educating students and to fulfilling the broader mission of SUNY. People outside the institution don’t have the ability to see the things we do.”

— Karen L. Mattison