Union makes legislative rounds

Dozens of UUP’s activists joined union President William Scheuer-man and other officers to meet and greet almost 250 state lawmakers and staffers at the 2002 Legislative Luncheon.

At this annual UUP lobbying event held in The Well of the Legislative Office Building, the union unveiled its political program for state legislators in a congenial setting, mixing food with facts about the state university.

“We had our largest turnout ever, which shows that New York’s lawmakers are really focused on what UUP has to say about the state of SUNY,” Scheuerman said.

“We’re getting a lot of positive feedback from the luncheon,” added Patricia Bentley of Plattsburgh, chair of UUP’s Legislation Committee. “It’s going to be a tough year, but we have a lot of support from lawmakers for what our members and SUNY need.”

During a briefing before the luncheon, Scheuerman thanked the volunteer lobbyists for taking the UUP message to legislators, saying: “This is a very important day.” He informed the standing-room-only group about the union’s recent victories for the SUNY teaching hospitals: getting more than $90 million over three years for the public hospitals included in a health care assistance bill (HCRA) originally aimed only at New York’s not-for-profit facilities; ensuring that last year’s funding of $92 million was maintained in this year‘s “flat” Executive Budget proposal; and working toward additional hospital flexibility legislation, all to continue addressing the state-created hospital deficit and protect the jobs of their workers.

Of the more than $90 million from HCRA, about $13 million is a scheduled payment of hospital Medicaid reimbursement and an inflationary measure.

“It’s a step in the right direction and shows the clout UUP has with state lawmakers,” Scheuerman said of the gains. “These ‘hits’ won’t solve the hospitals’ problems, but will protect them for this year,” he said, recognizing officers Rowena Blackman-Stroud of Brooklyn HSC, statewide treasurer, and Upstate Medical University’s Phillip Smith, statewide vice president for academics, for their leadership in these successes.

“We still have our work cut out for us,” Scheuerman said, noting that last year’s bare-bones budget resulted in no funding for new full-time faculty lines at SUNY for the first time in several years. UUP had been negotiating with state lawmakers late last summer for support for additional faculty lines in a supplemental budget when the tragic events of Sept. 11 intervened.

“This year’s legislative program continues to address the full-time faculty line issue, as well as many of the other items of importance to UUP,” Bentley said. “Our advertising campaign is up and running, and legislators are hearing our message that SUNY is positioned to help with the restoration and revival of New York.”

Unionists also used the written word to express their concern to lawmakers about the proposed Executive Budget for the University’s state-operated campuses. Delegates to the 2002 Winter Delegate Assembly (DA) rolled up their sleeves and participated in a letter-writing campaign led by Political Action Committee Chair Frederick Floss of Buffalo State.

“Our immediate priority should be to protect our colleges and universities from budget cuts that might imperil SUNY’s ability to provide workforce development, up-to-date technology and vital services that will allow our state to regain its competitive advantage,” delegates wrote in letters to legislators and Gov. George Pataki.

“Delegates took time during an active DA to send more than 500 letters to let lawmakers know that SUNY is critical to the communities of New York state, and it’s greatly appreciated,” Floss said.

Sample letters to state legislators and the governor are posted on UUP’s Web site — http://www.uupinfo.org — for use by other UUPers who want to help get the union’s message out. “We need the individual support of each and every one of our members in our efforts,” Floss said. UUP’s volunteer lobbyists met too with lawmakers to garner support for the restoration of funds to the New York State Theatre Institute. The union is seeking a return to full-time status for all UUPers there, as well as adequate staff for each department.

The lobbyists also participated in the NYSUT-sponsored Higher Education Lobby Day, and Stony Brook Lobby Day, which was co-sponsored by the Stony Brook UUP chapters.

— Lisa Feldman Reich