2011 Annual Report to the Membership
Transcription
2011 Annual Report to the Membership
United University Professions 2011 Annual Report to the Membership Message from the President Smith I think we all earned our stripes. We battled new proposals to slash funds for SUNY in 2010-11. We overcame the threat of losing all funding for SUNY hospitals and again we were forced to guard against efforts to expand so-called SUNY “flexibility.” But we fought fiercely and we won more battles than we lost. One of our biggest victories: the restoration of $60 million in state aid for the state’s three teaching hospitals—SUNY’s first legislative restoration in a decade. It wasn’t easy; more than 100 dedicated UUPers made multiple trips to Albany and met with almost every member of the Senate and Assembly to urge them to properly fund SUNY. Legislators heard UUP’s call to “think ahead and invest in higher ed” loudly and clearly. Even though they retained $100 million in state reductions to SUNY in the 2011-12 budget, many of them now understand the University cannot withstand more cuts. We also took our fight to the airwaves with an effective statewide multimedia ad campaign that included television and newspaper ads, billboards, Twitter and Facebook, and the revival of our SaveSUNY.org micro-site. And we took our fight to streets. Page 2 UUP members rallied several times in Albany in winter and spring 2011 to fight for state funding for SUNY and to call on lawmakers to invest in public education. We rallied with SUNY and CUNY students in March over proposed state higher ed cuts. and other SUNY campuses and we stepped up to protect our embattled members, particularly those in the New York State Theatre Institute (NYSTI) chapter. We also began gearing up for what we expect will be prolonged and UUP President Phil Smith addresses delegates to the 2011 Spring DA. We also rallied to support national causes. In October 2010, we traveled to Washington, D.C. to take part in the historic 100,000-strong One Nation march. A few months later, we were in New York City for the “We Are One” rally, which drew 15,000 unionists from all over the country to lash out against public workers’ rights in a number of states. Our members traveled to places like Wisconsin and Florida to fight union-busting tactics. Back home, we spoke out against humanities program cuts at UAlbany difficult negotiations for a new contract. We have a crackerjack Negotiations Team, led by UUP Executive Board member and Cortland Chapter President Jamie Dangler, and we feel confident that we’ll reach a fair, equitable agreement. We’ll face our share of challenges in 2011-12 and we’ll face each one with vigor and show tenacity in the face of adversity. We will do what we need to do to keep UUP strong. In Union, Phil Report to the Membership 2011 UUP Membership Development Officer Ed Quinn, right, shares his expertise on mobilizing members during the 2011 AFT Higher Ed Issues Conference. UUP Membership The union’s ranks expanded by 540 members between July 2010 and July 2011, totaling 34,646 members. That number includes retiree and bargaining unit members. Of new employees, 173 joined as active employees and 367 joined as retirees. As of July 2011, 16,949 active members were academics, an increase of 307 members; that number includes full-time and part-time academics. Part-timers accounted for much of the increase; 294 part-time academics joined UUP last year. There were 11,698 full-time academics and 5,251 part-time academics in the bargaining unit in July 2011. There were 14,365 professionals in the bargaining unit in July 2011, a decrease of 134 members. Full-time professionals took the biggest hit, losing 176 members; full-time professionals totaled 12,291. There was an increase of 42 part-time professionals; they totaled 2,074. Membership Development Officer Ed Quinn organized regional meetings for chapter officers during the 2010-11 academic year; Quinn discussed methods of internal organizing and recruitment of new activists, as well as what resources are available to them. Quinn traveled to Wisconsin in February to support public employees battling a Republicanbacked law that stripped them of almost all of their union rights. In April, he went to Florida with Stony Brook Chapter President Arty Shertzer and Upstate Medical University Chapter delegate Paul Stasior to help the United Faculty of Florida recruit new members. Legislation and Political Action: UUP Continues its Legislative Outreach Strategy UUP faced some stiff challenges during New York’s 2010-11 legislative session. It started with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed Executive Budget, released Feb. 1. Cuomo called for nearly $100 million in cuts to SUNY’s state-operated campuses and proposed eliminating state subsidies for SUNY’s three teaching hospitals – a potential loss of approximately $154 million in state funding. Additionally, Article VII legislation submitted by the governor called for Upstate UUPers, from left, Dave Peckham, Carol Braund and Bob Fluck meet with Assemblyman William Magnarelli, second from left, in his Albany office. Report to the Membership 2011 Page 3 the passage of many of the SUNY flexibility proposals introduced in 2010-11. Those proposals were similar to stipulations in the failed Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act (PHEEIA) legislation. Thanks in large measure to the efforts of our Outreach Committee and membership, UUP was able to stem the elimination of the hospital subsidy, achieving the first legislative funding restoration for the University in more than a decade. UUP was instrumental in revising NYSUNY 2020 by pushing to remove provisions for undergraduate differential tuition, public/private partnerships, and the sale or lease of campus properties. These stipulations, which were part of previous SUNY “flexibility” proposals, are not in NYSUNY 2020; Gov. Cuomo signed the bill into law in August. What NYSUNY 2020 does is sets up a rational tuition program authorizing the SUNY Board of Trustees to approve tuition increases of up to $300 annually over the next five years. It also establishes a new tuition credit system providing support toward future increases for Tuition Assistance Cortland UUP member Dave Ritchie, right, shakes hands with Assemblyman Sam Roberts after a meeting on the importance of investing in SUNY. Program (TAP) eligible students. Importantly, this legislation requires the state to provide SUNY and the City University of New York (CUNY) with the same amount of operating support as the prior year and mandates that tuition increases be used to retain and expand full-time faculty and increase availability of programs. Downstate UUPers Abe Gerecht, left, and Gideon Dunkley use facts to back up UUP’s legislative agenda with Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal. Page 4 We also had success in getting many pieces of legislation introduced in the 2011 session. Among these is a “Sovereign Immunity” bill, protecting workers rights by ensuring that people with disabilities have adequate access to government services and facilities. This was introduced in both houses and passed the Assembly. We also supported the SUNY Graduate Student Employee Union in their fight to have their contractual salary increases funded. Our members wrote letters of support to their legislators, and the paybill was passed. The union also supported, with a resolution from our Delegate Assembly, New York’s historic Marriage Equity Act. But those successes didn’t come without a lot of hard work. On Feb. 11, UUP President Phil Smith testified at the joint Senate Finance and Assembly Ways & Means committee budget hearings. Smith outlined UUP’s goals for a fully funded SUNY and voiced the union’s opposition to Cuomo’s flexibility proposals. Smith also met several times with SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher and members of her staff. Two months earlier, Smith testified Report to the Membership 2011 Cobleskill UUPer ZJ Jiang sends an electronic fax urging state lawmakers to stops cuts to SUNY. before the Assembly Standing Committee on Higher Education. His message focused on SUNY’s role in student retention, academic achievement and degree completion. UUP began its Albany advocacy efforts Jan. 25, a week before Cuomo unveiled his budget; UUPers urged legislators to support SUNY. UUP staged 13 Albany advocacy events in 2010-11, including NYSUT’s Committee of 100 and Higher Education Lobby Day. Nearly 230 UUPers traveled to Albany on these trips to press the union’s message. Unionists met with every member of the Senate and Assembly Higher Education committees; almost every legislator was visited at least once. The union’s advocacy schedule included a SUNY Hospital Day to draw legislators’ attention to the implications of the proposed cuts. Busloads of SUNY students attended our EOC/EOP Outreach Day, highlighting the importance of these opportunity programs. Attending rallies and public demonstrations were part of the union’s outreach strategy; that included a rally in Albany during the 2011 Winter Delegate Assembly. Our “Support Public Higher Education” rally brought together several Report to the Membership 2011 groups—UUP, NYSUT, the Professional Staff Congress, the SUNY Student Assembly, SUNY and City University of New York students, the New York Public Interest Research Group and Citizen Action. UUPers also traveled to different states to support public employees and labor. UUP Associate Coordinator of Research and Legislation Michelle Carter went to Wisconsin to help thousands of state workers fight to retain their collective bargaining rights. UUPers continued advocacy efforts in their communities. In 2010-11, 122 UUPers made 32 appointments with legislators in their respective districts. The union also effectively used print and TV advertising and social media to achieve is political action and legislative goals. We reached out to members and the public via our website (www.uupinfo.org), Facebook, and Twitter. Our web-based letterwriting campaign generated more than 10,000 faxes to legislators, and an online petition at SaveSUNY.org was successful. We also introduced online UUP Secretary Eileen Landy, who oversees the union’s political action and legislative efforts, updates delegates on the union’s advocacy. Page 5 Oneonta UUPers Bill Simons, center, and Fred Miller update Sen. James Seward, right, on the union’s legislative agenda. registration for Albany advocacy days; members can register to attend an Albany advocacy day event by filling out and submitting an online form at http://bit.ly/nrZFAl. UUPers made critical donations to the union’s VOTE/COPE effort, which resulted in record funding for the UUP/NYSUT Political Action fund. The UUP Outreach Committee, Vote/Cope coordinators and UUP chapters at Geneseo and the University at Buffalo, were honored with NYSUT’s Lou Cammarosano award for locals that dramatically increase their VOTE/COPE contributions. also provided additional outreach support. The union’s 2011-12 budget was approved at the 2011 Spring Delegate Assembly. We will focus on priorities identified by our members in the 201112 fiscal year. These priorities include contract negotiations, recruiting new activists and outreach concerns. Contract negotiations with New York state are under way and funding the Negotiations Team is of the highest priority. The Reserve Fund will be used to cover expenditures that exceed monies allocated on the Negotiations Committee line. UUP also continued its commitment of providing release time to leaders at the chapter, increasing the allocation on the chapter release time line to reflect the demand for release time at the chapter level. A Treasurer Development Workshop was held July 13 for newly elected and incumbent chapter treasurers. Topics discussed included the annual audit process, developing chapter budgets, agency fee expenditures, outreach expenditures, lobbying reports, and chapter fiscal policies. A similar workshop is scheduled for Sept. 22, prior to the 2011 Fall Delegate Assembly. On the Front Lines: Academics and Professionals UUP continued to focus on the unique challenges facing professionals and academics in 2010-11. The third Long Island regional conference for professionals took place at the Huntington Hilton June 4. More than 40 members from the Stony Brook, Stony Brook HSC, Old Westbury, Farmingdale, Empire State College, Brooklyn HSC, Optometry and Maritime chapters attended the Annual Fiscal Update Once again, UUP has received the highest rating from our auditors for meeting our fiduciary responsibilities in the 2010-11 fiscal year. Our union is fiscally sound and well-positioned to face the challenges of the upcoming fiscal year. Outreach activities were a priority in 2010-11. We provided funding to our chapters to support membership development activities. We shifted $1 million from the Reserve Fund in 2010-11 to cover extraordinary expenses associated with possible fallout from the reduction of state money to SUNY due to fiscal crises at the national and state levels. NYSUT Page 6 UUP Treasurer Rowena Blackman-Stroud shares her views during the recent New Leadership Workshops. Report to the Membership 2011 meeting. Workshops focused on appointment type, and the role of professionals in student success and patient care. Also in June, then Vice President for Professionals John Marino attended the annual meeting of SUNY Division III athletic directors, and later met to discuss appointment type and Appendix B titles. In November 2010, Marino conducted a workshop on workload and professional obligation for professionals at community colleges, and met as a member of the Then VP for Professionals John Marino leads a 2011 Spring DA panel on the role of professionals in student success and patient care. AAUP Committee on Academic Professionals, which is chaired by Geneseo UUPer Tom Matthews. In January, Marino gave UUP Chief Negotiator Jamie Dangler and Associate Chief Negotiator Mike Smiles an overview of the issues professionals face and how UUP might attempt to address them at the bargaining table. During the AFT Higher Education Issues Conference in April, Marino served as moderator of a panel on how professionals help students succeed; UUPer Jen Drake of Cortland was one of two panelists to lead the group discussion. Marino brought the issue to professionals attending the 2010 Spring Delegate Assembly. Drake, Solomon Ayo of Farmingdale, Richard Kelder of New Paltz and Greta Petry of Albany served as panelists during the Professional Delegates Meeting. Professionals at Canton, Cortland, Empire State, ESF, Old Westbury, Optometry, Plattsburgh, Potsdam, Purchase, Stony Brook and Upstate Medical University met with Marino VP for Academics Fred Floss makes a point during the 2011 Spring DA plenary session. Report to the Membership 2011 Page 7 throughout the year; topics ranged from performance programs and appointment letters, to salary increases and promotions. Issues of interest to professionals continued to appear every other month as columns in The Voice in 2010-11. The columns, written by Marino, focused on topics such as appointment letters and accruals. Marino resigned his post as vice president for professionals in June to accept a position at NYSUT as associate director of staff for UUP. In July, the Executive Board appointed Philippe Abraham as acting vice president for professionals to temporarily fill Marino’s vacancy. A special election to fill Marino’s unexpired term was set to be held at the 2011 Fall Delegate Assembly Sept. 24. Vice President for Academics Fred Floss also found a forum for academic issues in The Voice; his column dealt with timely topics for academics. In his columns, Floss wrote about the need for a progressive tax system and how the union should address calls for reorganization and reform in SUNY. Floss, working with Membership Development Officer Quinn, organized regional meetings for academics at SUNY Maritime and in central New York. At the meetings, academics shared their views on topics such as tenure and time management. He visited a number of campuses, including Purchase, Potsdam, Plattsburgh, Oneonta, Alfred, Upstate, Stony Brook and Oswego. In January, Floss was tapped by the AFT to help with organizing efforts at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He worked as part of a joint campaign with the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). Floss also aided AFT to help organize Temple University academics. He also attended the New York State AAUP meeting in October 2010 at Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y. As UUP’s representative, Floss weighed in on a number of issues, including the censuring of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for eliminating meaningful faculty governance on that campus. As a member of NYSUT’s Teacher Education Task Force, Floss played a major role in the creation of the “Teacher Education Task Force Preparation Book,” a binder filled with research regarding teacher accountability, understanding teacher labor markets, teachers unions and student performance and the impact of individual teachers on student achievement. The compendium was distributed to every chapter. Floss and NYSUT Vice President Maria Neira met with state Education Commissioner Edward Steiner. He asked that the panel be involved in any talks regarding changes to teacher education programs. The task force undertook a letter writing campaign to the New York State Regents with comments about changes in regulations that would alter the evaluation process of teacher education students. Floss took part in several rallies, including the One Nation march in Washington, D.C. in October 2010 and the We Are One rally in New York City in April. In March, he represented UUP at a Stony Brook University ceremony for the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. fire. Membership has its Privileges: Member Benefits The UUP Benefit Trust Fund provides an annual maximum dental benefit of $2,500 per eligible member and/or dependent, and a vision benefit Upstate UUPer Paul Stasior, left, receives benefit information from UUP Member Benefits staffer Karen Dombrowski. Page 8 Report to the Membership 2011 System Administration UUPers, from left, Mike Walker, John Schumacher and Linda Veraska take part in a March 2011 rally at the state Capitol in downstown Albany. that includes a comprehensive eye exam and one pair of glasses every 12 months; the benefit may be applied to contact lenses. We also offer voluntary premium dental and vision programs to our part-time members. Group life insurance coverage is provided for all eligible active UUP members. The maximum benefit is $6,000 for active members and $1,000 for retired members who maintain their UUP membership. Last year, UUP’s Members Services Trust Fund began offering low-cost accident and cancer insurance policies through the American Family Life Assurance Company (AFLAC). These policies pay cash benefits when a policy holder has a covered accident or illness. UUPers receive a discounted rate for these products. Member Services also offers discounted rates for members through Apple, AT&T, Bally Total Fitness, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Report to the Membership 2011 Goodyear, Liberty Mutual, Mirabito, the New Jersey Nets, Office Max, Sprint, and Verizon Wireless. Spreading UUP’s Message UUP was put to the test time and time again in 2010-11 and the union responded with a powerful media relations plan that effectively delivered UUP’s message and helped protect members’ rights. UUP’s strategy paid off, generating nearly 150 newspaper, radio and television stories and providing positive coverage and a public platform for UUP, and helped the union achieve many of its legislative goals. This advertorial appeared in the March 22, 2011, issue of The Legislative Gazette. Page 9 UUP President Phil Smith underscores the need to ‘Think Ahead; Invest in Higher Ed’ during a February 2011 rally at the state Capitol in Albany, as members of the media record the event. News releases, media advisories, guest editorials and newspaper editorial board meetings prompted most of the coverage. UUP President Phil Smith was at the center of the media barrage, presenting the union’s message with clarity and force. UUP responded immediately to Gov. Cuomo’s plans for a $100 million state aid cut for SUNY and to eliminate the state subsidy for SUNY’s teaching hospitals. Smith ramped up the union’s message when he led more than 300 UUPers in a Feb. 4 rally in Albany; he used the opportunity to introduce the union’s media campaign theme, “Think ahead. Invest in higher ed.” Smith also put his name to a guest editorial appealing for public support against the spending cuts to SUNY and its hospitals. He encouraged readers to visit UUP’s advocacy micro-site saveSUNY.org, where they could send electronic letters urging lawmakers to reject further SUNY budget cuts. The editorial appeared in about 30 weekly newspapers statewide. At the same time, UUP placed ads in 175 weekly newspapers in areas near SUNY campuses with the headline, “What? Another year of college! I can’t afford that?” Page 10 Meanwhile, UUP launched its advertising blitz to generate support to keep the state hospital subsidy. Ads reflecting the implications of reduced funding to hospitals and SUNY’s medical school in Buffalo were placed in daily and weekly newspapers in and around Brooklyn, Buffalo, Stony Brook and Syracuse. UUP also splashed its message on billboards along heavily traveled routes in those areas and on Long Island Rail Road platform transit signs. A key element to UUP’s advertising campaign was a TV commercial that illustrated the impact of SUNY budget cuts to students. The ad featured a young man who is forced to leave college without a degree; state budget cuts made it impossible for him to get required courses to graduate on time and he can’t afford to stay another year. The commercial aired in March on broadcast and cable outlets in Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, New York City, Syracuse and Long Island. Additionally, Smith met with editorial boards of The Buffalo News and the Albany Times Union to speak out against proposed SUNY budget cuts. Following legislative approval of the budget, UUP battled NYSUNY 2020, the latest version of so-called SUNY “flexibility.” UUP issued a news release blasting proposals advanced by Stony Brook and the University at Buffalo. Chapter leaders also spoke out in letters to the editor sent to local newspapers; UUP’s Communications team drafted a letter that chapter leaders could localize. Letters were printed in newspapers in Albany, Cortland, Potsdam, Plattsburgh and Canton. Nearly 1,300 UUPers sent electronic letters to lawmakers urging them to turn back NYSUNY 2020; another 2,000 signed an online petition via the union’s website and savesuny.org. UUP’s media outreach included a number of other issues, including the fate of the NYSTI chapter, the status of the union’s contract negotiations, the SUNY chancellor’s pursuit of “Campus Alliance Networks” and UUP scholarships. The following national and regional media outlets covered UUP issues in 2010-11 academic year: The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Newsday, The Buffalo News, Poughkeepsie Journal, Report to the Membership 2011 the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin, the Utica ObserverDispatch, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Inside Higher Ed. Also, the New York Chief-Leader, The Journal News in White Plains, The Ithaca Journal, The Daily Star in Oneonta, the Elmira Star-Gazette, the Albany Times Union, The Daily Gazette in Schenectady, The Record in Troy, the Times Herald-Record in Middletown, the Plattsburgh Press- Hundreds of UUPers in February 2011 converge on the state Capitol to fight for better SUNY funding. Republican, The Legislative Gazette, The Post-Standard in Syracuse, the Capital District Business Review, the Washington Monthly, the Watertown Daily Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Crain’s New York Business, Eagle Newspapers, the Messenger Post Newspapers, Courier Life Newspapers, Hometown Media Group and The Times-Beacon-Record Newspapers. UUP received coverage from Fox 23 News (WXXA-TV), ABC 10 UUP President Phil Smith answers questions from a reporter during one of several UUP-sponsored rallies addressing the need for more state funds for SUNY. Report to the Membership 2011 (WTEN-TV), News Channel 13 (WNYT-TV) in Albany; YNN broadcast through most of upstate; CBS 6 News (WRGB-TV) in Schenectady; WHAM-TV and WROC-TV in Rochester; WAMC radio in Albany; WBAI radio in New York; Mid-Hudson News radio network, and New York News Connection. Communicating with Members During the 2010-11 academic year, the Communications Department published seven issues of its membership magazine The Voice and produced many other printed materials, including several legislative publications; advocacy advertisements; four Active Retiree newsletters; several Legislative Gazette advertorials; stickers and rally placards to show solidarity with public employees in Wisconsin, Ohio and other states; and dozens of certificates, resolutions, posters and fliers. The Communications team assists chapters and statewide committees in a variety of ways—from coordinating and printing business cards, notepads and letterhead, to producing resolutions honoring outstanding unionists, and offering newsletter, web and media services training. In 2010-11, several chapters requested Page 11 Chapter presidents, members, newsletter editors and webmasters from nine chapters earn annual UUP journalism awards. and received placards for a variety of labor- and education-related rallies and press conferences on campuses, at the hospitals and in their communities. Communications also produced two Negotiations Bulletins and other materials related to collective bargaining with the state. Communications staffers play a significant role in assisting other departments by proofreading, editing and designing informational materials, including fliers, registration cards and brochures; the legislative agenda; new hire kits; and new member packets. The Communications team produces all programs, fliers, and displays needed for Delegate Assemblies, and creates materials to promote fund-raising efforts of the union’s College Scholarship Fund. In 2010-11, the department handled several special projects, including the design and layout of the UUP Strategic and Tactical Plan Report in print and online formats; assisting the Long Island Region of COARM (Committee on Active Retired Membership) in developing, printing and mailing a tri-fold brochure for Farmingdale retiree members; and producing brochures, handouts and online registration forms for the Long Island Conference for Professionals. Page 12 Communications staffers took hundreds of photos of members in action at more than two dozen events in 2010-11 and posted them on www.uupinfo.org using a free Google application called Picasa. Communications team members also created or assisted in the design and implementation of several chapter and committee websites. Each year, UUP Communications conducts the UUP Journalism Contest to recognize chapters and the UUP retiree contingent for outstanding writing, photography, websites and design. Nine chapters and the retiree group entered the competition and earned two dozen awards for their newsletters and websites in 2010-11. The department also won its share of international and national accolades. UUP’s Communications team earned four awards from the International Labor Communications Association including the group’s highest honor—the Max Steinbock award, which was presented to Communications Specialist Michael Lisi for his January 2011 Voice article “Speaking up for SUNY.” The union’s communications efforts also earned four awards from the AFT Communicators Network for outstanding writing, editing, and advocacy ads. UUP is committed to keeping members informed of the union’s efforts to protect their rights and benefits and extend their influence, and to lifting our voices to keep the public aware of the invaluable services our members deliver, each and every day. Report to the Membership 2011