Delegates to the 2010 Spring Delegate Assembly in Albany covered a wide range of union business during their policymaking convention May 14-15. They elected officers and Executive Board members, debated policy, adopted the union’s 2010-2011 budget, attended meetings, wrote and faxed lawmakers to support SUNY, listened to committee and officers’ reports, and honored their colleagues for outstanding newsletters and websites. They also heard about the mounting challenges confronting public education in general and SUNY in particular, and heard UUP President Phillip Smith vow to reject any scheme to weaken the union’s negotiated contract. Read on for highlights.

UUP President Phillip Smith used his State of the Union address to get delegates to the 2010 Spring Delegate Assembly fired up about furloughs, the Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act (PHEEIA), the SUNY Strategic Plan and myriad other attacks raining down on public higher education.

Smith outlined SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher’s step-by-step plan to wrest power over the University from lawmakers and the public by pushing for passage of PHEEIA, and criticized her strategic plan for failing to promote research and learning.

“This is all about power,” Smith said. “This is not about SUNY. It’s not about students. And it’s certainly not about us.”

He vowed that “UUP will not be brought to its knees” by SUNY administrators or state politicians hell-bent on destroying the union and privatizing the University.

Likening UUP’s situation to that of Henri Charriére, played by Steve McQueen in the movie Papillon, Smith said Charriére is a convict whose spirit and courage sustained him through two years of solitary confinement.

“Once outside, hunched over and nearly blind, he faced the administration building where the warden and officers of the prison resided. In a quivering voice, he said, ‘I’m still here, you bastards.’”

“We must activate the membership to turn things around,” Smith added. “And, by God, we can say: You bastards, we’re still here.”

Smith called on the nearly 300 delegates in attendance to remain diligent in educating students, community members, business owners and lawmakers on the dangers of PHEEIA and other privatization schemes, and to keep UUPers abreast of anti-union tactics designed to pit rank-and-file members against union leaders.

Delegates responded by writing letters and sending hundreds of computer faxes to lawmakers from the union’s Political Action Center, and adopted a 10-committee resolution calling for a detailed action plan to combat PHEEIA, the strategic plan, and SUNY Board of Trustees’ changes in general education requirements.

“Once more, it’s up to us,” Smith said. “We are making our intellect and our influence count. With your support, involvement and advocacy, we will continue the fight, so that SUNY will remain open to families of low and moderate income.”

DA delegates re-elected three statewide officers and three Executive Board members. Two first-time board members were also elected to two-year terms during the two-day convention.

Vice President for Academics Frederick Floss defeated challenger Patricia Bentley of Plattsburgh, 157-116. Vice President for Professionals John Marino and Treasurer Rowena Blackman-Stroud were re-elected without opposition.

Returned to the statewide Executive Board were Jamie Dangler of Cortland, who was challenged by M. Steve Pendleton of Buffalo Center, 175-102; Philippe Abraham of Albany, who was challenged by fellow incumbent Carolyn Kube of Stony Brook HSC, 145-128; and Kube, who later won re-election against challenger Raymond Dannenhoffer of Buffalo HSC, 145-125.

Newly elected to the board was Ray Gleason of Alfred, who ran unopposed in his bid for the seat representing technology colleges. James Engle of Morrisville was successful in his bid in a runoff election with Jacqualine Berger of Empire State College, 155-113. The first contest included incumbent Peter D.G. Brown of New Paltz, whose 88 votes were not enough to get him in the runoff race between Engle, 96, and Berger, 91.

The new leaders take office June 1.

A number of resolutions were debated during the convention. Delegates:

• Asked UUP to recognize people with disabilities, and to work to ensure inclusive campuses that provide quality experiences and work lives for members.

• Condemned Arizona Immigration Law SB1070, which requires police to determine the immigration status of a person they believe to be in the U.S. unlawfully. Delegates also directed UUP to send letters of condemnation to all appropriate parties.

In a separate resolution, delegates directed the Committee on Latino Affairs to send a letter asking the Executive Board to consider supporting legal action in reference to the Arizona Immigration Law.

• Adopted a resolution to condemn any institution of higher education that “restricts or redacts personal, intellectual or academic freedoms under the guise of religious intolerance.” The resolution stems from Marquette University’s decision to rescind a job offer allegedly because the candidate is a lesbian.

Delegates also directed UUP to send a letters of condemnation to the president and board of the Milwaukee-based Catholic university.

• Supported the call for a national day of action against the privatization of public education, and asked the Executive Board to promote similar resolutions with AFT and NYSUT. UUP chapters were also encouraged to work with student, civic and labor groups to take action on campuses and in communities on that date.

• Urged UUP to work with AFT and NYSUT to support the campaign for a national Cesar Chavez holiday.

• Stood for a moment of silence in honor of civil rights leaders Benjamin Hooks, director of the Federal Communications Commission; Dorothy Height, CEO of the National Council of Negro Women; and singer Lena Horne, the first African American female to entertain the troops during World War II.

• Recognized by acclamation the contributions of outgoing Executive Board members Raul Huerta of Morrisville and Brown of New Paltz.

The annual Basket Bazaar fundraiser and a raffle for a mountain bike netted a combined $2,175 for the UUP College Scholarship Fund, which each year gives a one-time, $2,000 scholarship to up to four SUNY undergraduates.

The full DA report can be found at www.uupinfo.org under DA/Conferences.

— Karen L. Mattison