It seems like so much has happened since my first day as president of UUP in February 2008, a day that I found myself in a face-to-face meeting with then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer before a press conference for a proposed endowment for higher education.

A year later, Spitzer is long gone, Lt. Gov. David Paterson is now Gov. David Paterson, and a public higher ed endowment is still a pipe dream, jarred by the harsh reality of stunning, stinging state budget cuts to SUNY that rocked the University’s very foundation.

This is the war we’ve been waging for months, and it’s a war that has galvanized this union and has given us numerous opportunities to show our mettle. And we all have.

It has been an honor to lead UUP during these trying times. Thank you for your support during these protracted battles and your continued faith in me. Thank you for re-electing me as your president at the Spring Delegate Assembly.

We have won hard-fought victories, and our success is the result of your dedication and hard work. You haven’t backed away from this challenge. On the contrary, you have joined us in standing up to the state when necessary, rallying at the state Capitol—sometimes in frigid, snowy weather—faxing legislators, and recruiting local support through our grassroots “SUNY is the $olution” campaign.

We peppered the campuses, airwaves and newspapers statewide with ads calling on the state to properly fund our SUNY campuses and teaching hospitals. When we could, we worked with the state to come up with strategies to protect our members.

And we’ve held our ground.

We rebuffed Gov. Paterson’s call for a week’s pay lag and for UUP to forego its negotiated 3 percent raise for this year. The governor’s proposal for a Tier V pension benefit plan is out of the picture—for now. The New York State Theatre Institute is still intact.

We helped pass the Fair Share Tax Reform bill, which will bring an additional $4 billion into the state’s coffers to help close the budget gap. Legislators took a cue from our tuition policy plan—which would have returned 100 percent of tuition to SUNY and done away with state funding offsets—and granted SUNY 20 percent tuition retention this year. That will climb to 50 percent over the next several years.

The state restored $17.4 million in cuts to universitywide programs. And none of the 8,900 state layoffs announced by Gov. Paterson in March include SUNY employees.

Student access to SUNY will be preserved, as will full-time faculty and other campus positions through $75 million in SUNY reserve funds being made available by the governor and the Legislature—at our request—to campuses this year. The enacted budget also authorized $40 million in SUNY Income Fund Reimbursable (IFR) funds to replace the loss of $40 million in state support. Our next battle is to ensure that SUNY uses the reserve funds and balances to protect its core mission and our membership.

SUNY’s hospital state subsidy was cut by $25 million. But the state will use the reduction to leverage $48 million in federal and state funds to the hospitals, for disbursement over the next two years. The Legislature also sliced the gross receipts tax on hospital revenues in half.

Other victories include the Legislature’s rejection of a SUNY plan that would allow it to lease or sell state land on SUNY campuses and pursue public/private partnerships without first seeking state support; and a plan forcing state retirees and dependants to pay increased health insurance premiums.

Make no mistake: we are by no means satisfied with all provisions of this outcome. But with New York mired in an economic crisis of epic proportions and other state departments absorbing big budget cuts, things could be much worse.

We’re off to a good start. But the battle has only begun. Now we have to remain vigilant and ready to rush to the trenches when the call comes. And it will.

Congratulations to all of our new leaders who were elected at the chapter level in April. We have new presidents at 10 of our chapters, and I’m sure they’re ready for the challenges that lie ahead.

I’d like to extend a hearty welcome to the statewide Executive Board’s new members: Dave Curry of Plattsburgh, Bob Reganse of Farmingdale and Brian Tappen of Upstate Medical University. I look forward to working with you.

I’d also like to thank our outgoing leaders who served UUP so well over the years. Your contributions were great and your dedication appreciated.

Finally, I’d like to thank everyone who ran for a union leadership position this year. What was truly remarkable about this year’s elections is that all but one of the races were contested, a true sign that democracy is alive and well at UUP. You can read more about the elections in this issue of The Voice.

For now, enjoy the summer. You’ve earned a rest.