When it’s time to pass the torch of union leadership at various levels to the next generation, UUP wants to ensure it has people equipped to assume the responsibility. Toward that end, UUP attracted 65 trainees to its Spring Leadership Workshop in Cooperstown in mid-April.

The importance of leadership

“The more of you who are involved, the more effective we’ll be,” said UUP President William Scheuerman in welcoming the conference attendees. “We are the most effective advocate for SUNY and for high-quality public higher education,” he said.

Scheuerman told the participants their first responsibility is to the 32,000 members the union represents.

“Never forget that we are the servant of our members,” he said.

Scheuerman reflected on the major issue UUP has been involved in on behalf of its membership. He brought the trainees up to speed on the union’s latest efforts against the Berger Commission’s plan to merge Upstate Medical University in Syracuse with neighboring Crouse Hospital as a non-SUNY entity, including UUP’s lawsuit. Scheuerman warned of the consequences if SUNY is removed from governance at Upstate Medical University.

“The implication is that if Upstate Medical is removed from SUNY, SUNY’s other two hospitals in Brooklyn and Stony Brook are next,” he said.

Incentives to lead

For many of the participants, the workshops represented their first foray into union leadership.

“Some people in my unit who were not union members recently lost their jobs. That clearly showed me the importance of union representation,” said Linda Veraska of System Administration, explaining her strong motivation for enrolling in the leadership workshop.

For David Torres, an information technology professional at Fredonia, it was his past work experience that led him to become more active.  

“I’ve worked in different factories with and without unions. The morale was higher in the factories that had unions,” he explained. “I’ve been at Fredonia four years and knew I wanted to be involved in UUP.”

Five workshops offered by LRSs

Attendees were able to choose from among five two-day workshops conducted by UUP/NYSUT labor relations specialists.

• “Effective Meetings: Effective Results” covered issues ranging from preparing an agenda and conducting a meeting, to how to maximize participation and get results.

• “UUP: Chapter Develop-ment” detailed the organizational structure and activities of UUP and its chapters.

• “Forums for Problem Solving” presented a roadmap of options to address what kinds of solutions are available for members’ problems.

• “Collective Bargaining and the Taylor Law” went beyond defining the law to explain terms such as good faith negotiations, improper practice and past practice.

• “Grievance II” provided a detailed presentation of standards applied in grievance cases, and the tests for just cause in disciplinary actions against employees.

—Donald Feldstein

Leadership Workshops — What have you gained from this experience?

Donna Belgrave-Calder, Brooklyn HSC: “I learned so many things I hadn’t known, like the different areas of an improper practice. My knowledge has increased, including how to resolve problems.”

Linda Veraska, System Administration: “I had the chance to meet the people in Chapter Development and get a sense of what the union represents. I feel like we’re all working together.”

David Torres, Fredonia: “It was good to learn about the structure of UUP in Chapter Development and how things work. I got a feel for how much support there is for the union. I had never seen the union at work.”

Robin Torpey, Alfred: “Learning about the Taylor Law was useful because we have a number of issues on our campus that we have questions about.”

Cuiting Li, Oneonta: “The problem-solving workshop was very useful to me. It helped me understand how UUP helps us and what we need to do to receive support.”