Stakes high in Election 2000

It's been the perfect campaign for the new millennium, played out for the media while the electorate remains benignly disengaged.

One presidential candidate trips over his tongue while the other barely contains his during an infamous Los Angeles lip-lock.

In New York's U.S. Senate race, some see it as a match between the carpetbagger and the second-teamer.

Campaign 2000 — populism and pedigree, punditry and polls.

At least, that's the cynical view, common among radio hosts and television's talking heads.

But cynicism wasn't on stage during the summer at the AFT convention in Philadelphia, the NYSUT endorsement conference in Albany or the UUP Legislation/Political Action committees' retreat in Lake Placid. There, union activists took a hard look at all the candidates and at their positions on the issues.

When all was said and done, these activists — including dozens of UUP members — made enthusiastic choices and endorsements, based on how this year's election will impact their professions and their futures.

As they left Philadelphia, Albany and Lake Placid, these UUPers and their NYSUT and AFT colleagues brought with them the message that the stakes are high for public education and for New York state on Nov. 7.

And, to demonstrate their commitment, they've rolled up their sleeves, staffing phone banks, knocking on doors, registering voters and addressing envelopes because they know that, in politics, Main Street trumps Madison Avenue; grassroots wins over glitz.

For the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Daniel Patrick Moynihan, NYSUT's political muscle is behind Hillary Rodham Clinton, who addressed the union's endorsement conference in August. She also spoke to delegates during the NYSUT Representative Assembly in April.

"Throughout her public life and, indeed, every day on the campaign trail, Hillary Clinton has demonstrated a keen understanding of the issues that New Yorkers care most about — including the importance of investing in our public schools and colleges," said NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin. "Hillary Clinton is a friend and we will work tirelessly to elect her."

NYSUT President Thomas Hobart added that, in addition to her strong support for public education, Clinton "shares our belief that all Americans should have access to affordable health care and prescription drug coverage and that New York's working families should enjoy more of the benefits of our nation's economic resurgence."

Meanwhile, AFT was an early supporter of Al Gore for president. Speaking at the Democratic National Convention, AFT President Sandra Feldman said: "The commonsense policies and investments that only Al Gore and Joe Lieberman will sustain, and accelerate, are turning around our schools. They understand that compassionate rhetoric can never cover over punishing neglect. ... To Americans who want each and every child taught by qualified teachers and understand that teachers deserve respect and support — the Gore administration will come through.

"Our great democracy depends on public education. It depends on having public schools that are accountable to parents and to taxpayers, that are free and open to all children, whatever their background or the wealth of their families. Our public schools unite our diverse nation — and Al Gore and Joe Lieberman understand that. We cannot go back. For the sake of America's children, we must go forward with Al Gore and Joe Lieberman."

This month, The Voice looks at the positions of the presidential and Senate candidates on issues relevant to UUP members. Coverage also includes a list of NYSUT-endorsed candidates for the state Legislature, a sampling of UUPers' grassroots efforts and other useful campaign information as we head into an election that is sure to shape America in the 21st century.

UUPers in action: Activists mobilize for strong voice at polls

From checking voter registration records and working the phones behind the scenes to serving as delegates at the Democratic National Convention, many UUPers are taking an active role in Election 2000.

The candidates' positions on education seem clear — and diverse — in this year's presidential and New York U.S. Senate races. UUP members have been laboring hard so that, at the end of the day, when the votes are counted, the union's collective voice to strengthen SUNY and public education in general will be heard.

A preliminary step entails voter registration efforts. Tina Maria Manning of Stony Brook HSC — the union's statewide coordinator of voter registration and a member of the Political Action Committee — has been busy gathering and distributing NYSUT voting lists to UUP chapters so that each could ensure its members are officially registered to vote, on time.

"The process was difficult but worthwhile because it helped the union identify which members aren't actually registered," Manning said. "This is a very important election for education, and we need to make sure that as many UUPers as possible are registered and, therefore, able to vote."

At SUNY Binghamton, for example, the chapter reached out by letter to the unregistered new faculty members, urging them to "stand up and be counted" by registering to vote, said Robert Pompi, chapter president.

In Binghamton and Universitywide, UUP volunteers have participated in campus voter registration drives by setting up and staffing tables to assist unregistered students and faculty members to enroll.

Pompi said it's not always as important for UUP members to spearhead activities as it is for them to work with and for organizers of other campaign efforts.

We support things and help make them happen," said Pompi, who has worked with student groups on campus.

"I'm more comfortable in the trenches."

Brooklyn HSCer JoSheila Crandall, assistant to the administrator in the department of medicine, volunteers in the local polling office on Hillary Rodham Clinton's behalf. She also had the opportunity to march side by side with the Senate candidate on Labor Day at the Caribbean Day Parade in Brooklyn.

"It was so exciting — and scary," Crandall said of the parade experience. "There was a mob of people all around Hillary, so they roped her off so we could march. I couldn't believe the energy she created — it was wonderful."

Crandall is slated to host a fund-raising house party for Clinton this month. UUP Treasurer Rowena Blackman-Stroud, Brooklyn HSC chapter president, coordinated UUP's involvement in several hard-fought New York City primary races in support of NYSUT-endorsed candidates.

"UUPers are so committed to health care and ensuring that the fiscal crisis facing SUNY's teaching hospitals gets resolved that they took annual leave time in order to get the vote out for our candidates on Primary Day," Blackman-Stroud said.

Their efforts paid off, she said, as two major HSC supporters — incumbents Assemblyman Clarence Norman and Congressman Major Owens — beat back primary challengers.

Soon, the work turns to getting out the vote in the General Election, and that's where the phone banks come in.

"Our issues are clear in these races, and it's important for as many members as possible to make phone calls and do literature drops on behalf of the NYSUT-endorsed candidates," said Frederick Floss of Buffalo State, chair of the Political Action Committee.

"We have a big presence this year because the stakes for education are so high," Floss said, noting that, unlike Al Gore and Hillary Clinton, both George W. Bush and Rick Lazio support privatization efforts.

In another get-out-the-vote effort coordinated by the Political Action Committee, UUP chapter offices are submitting letters to their campuses' student newspapers in an attempt to remind SUNY students of their civic responsibility to vote.

The committee is also providing weekly campaign updates for distribution by UUP chapters, to help members stay informed about the candidates and their stands on the issues.

UUPer Thomas Hoey — a network operations manager at SUNY Albany and vice chair of the UUP Solidarity Committee — has moved from behind the scenes to "on the scene" for this election, running as a candidate for the state Assembly in the 104th Assembly District.

Hoey has run — and lost — before and he faces an uphill battle this year against a popular incumbent. Yet, he said it is important for all candidates to have an opponent.

"Elected officials become less responsive when they're not challenged," Hoey said. Meanwhile, UUPer Kim Muller of SUNY Oneonta — who also serves as mayor of that city — joined union President William Scheuerman and other members of the New York delegation at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles this summer.

Though this was her third national convention, it was the first time Muller — who manages the Grants Development Office at Oneonta — attended as a labor delegate.

"One thing that struck me at this convention was that educators and labor activists had a strong, noticeable presence, which was very energizing," Muller said. "I felt part of this positive, forward-thinking group of people engaged in a common effort on behalf of all workers in the nation."

When Clinton addressed the New York delegation, endorsing smaller classrooms and broader support for teachers, Muller — who has heard the Senate candidate speak many times — was reminded yet again how important it is to elect officials who support public education.

"This election will make a difference for the future of our families," Muller said.

For Scheuerman, being at the convention gave him "a great opportunity to pursue UUP's agenda, by talking with those fellow delegates who are our state and federal lawmakers."

Co-chaired by NYSUT President Thomas Hobart, the convention's New York delegation also included Alan Lubin, NYSUT's executive vice president.

Back in New York state, the VOTE/COPE fund drive — coordinated by Eileen Landy of SUNY Old Westbury — is another significant cog in UUP's political action wheel. By contributing to the fund, UUPers participate in the political process by helping the union bring its messages to Albany and Washington.

"UUPers are more actively involved in VOTE/COPE across the state than ever before, and we're raising a record amount of funds," Landy said. "This year, New Yorkers will also be voting for an entire state Legislature, and our members understand how crucial it is to elect lawmakers who will preserve public higher education."

Vice presidential comparisons

Sen. Joseph Lieberman has an 80 percent voting record in support of education, labor and health care issues. He has supported:
• increases in education funding and has voted favorably for the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, Goals 2000, School-to-Work, class-size reduction and school modernization;
• the Family and Medical Leave Act, legislation that would prohibit the replacement of striking workers, workplace ergonomic standards and minimum-wage increases;
• legislation that would provide whistleblower protections for health care workers and is in favor of legislation that would offer prescription drug benefits within the Medicare system for senior citizens; and
• opposition to anti-union legislation, including the Team Act that would allow "company" unions. In addition, Lieberman has been openly critical of Gov. George W. Bush's plan to privatize Social Security.

According to the AFT, Lieberman has said: "Instead of saving Social Security, (Bush) is on a course to savage it, with a privatization scheme that would take $1 trillion out of the nest egg that belongs to every worker in America, and jeopardize the program's stability."

Between 1979 and 1988, U.S. Congressman Richard Cheney cast nine "right" votes for working families and 149 "wrong" ones. He has voted against:
• the Davis-Bacon Act's prevailing-wage requirements on four separate occasions;
• "Buy America" legislation that called for requiring funds for roads and highways to be spent only on American goods and services;
• the Federal Employees Leave Act of 1988, which permitted federal workers to take time off — through voluntary transfers of leave — because of medical or other emergency situations involving family members. He was one of only nine House members to oppose this legislation;
• measures that created a separate Department of Education;
• funding for early-learning programs such as Head Start. He was one of only 10 House members to do so; and
• authorizing aid to colleges and needy students.

Meanwhile, he has supported raising the retirement age and limiting cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security; he also wanted to cut the deficit by raising taxes and slashing Medicare by $13 billion. — Compiled from materials prepared by the AFT and the state AFL-CIO

The issues really do matter:

Republicans put education, labor ahead of party

What would make a longtime Republican activist temporarily cross to the other aisle to become an active and vocal Democrat supporter?

Look for an answer in Gertrude "Trudy" Butera, a professor emeritus at SUNY Alfred and an active UUP member.

She is supporting Hillary Rodham Clinton for U.S. Senate.

"I'm issue-based," Butera said matter-of-factly. "My posture on Hillary comes from her stance on education."

That's the Hillary Clinton who supports a College Opportunity tax cut that would give families a tax deduction of $10,000 a year to help pay for college tuition. The candidate who supports improving schools with smaller class sizes, greater accountability for students and teachers, and the hiring of more teachers. Butera doesn't forget that many of tomorrow's teachers come to SUNY, where they are taught how to teach.

"There's a growing need for educators and we need to teach teachers," she said. Although a registered and voting Republican for 59 years in a heavily Republican community, Butera said she would vote for Clinton no matter what her party affiliation: "even if I were a Democrat and she were a Republican!"

Her reasons for honing in on Clinton are as plain as sliced bread. "She has the credentials," Butera said. "She has the education and the wide orientation as our first lady to know the needs of our citizens throughout the country. As a U.S. senator, she will be voting on issues other than just those of concern to our citizens in New York."

Butera sees Clinton as a boon for women.

"Most of all, she represents the opportunity for women to achieve equality in representing citizens, not only in our state, but in the nation," the UUPer said. "We need another woman in the U.S. Senate."

Butera is featured on a series of fliers being distributed by UUP's state affiliate, NYSUT, that focus on traditional Republicans and Independents who have decided to vote Democrat in the upcoming election.

Theresa Morelli, an elementary school teacher from Hyde Park and a NYSUT member, is on another flier.

A registered Republican for 20 years, Morelli said, "I will vote strictly for candidates who support public education and health care improvements for all Americans. ... Al Gore and Hillary Clinton have taken the right stand on important issues that will strengthen and build our communities and national goals for excellence. ...

"I am voting for Al Gore and Hillary Clinton."

Volunteer lobbyists set goals

Keeping the UUP political program on point and bringing that message home were among the themes of this year's legislative retreat.

During the two-day gathering in Lake Placid this summer, members of the Legislation and Political Action committees met to review the results of the 2000 legislative session and to begin planning the union's strategies for next year.

UUP President William Scheuerman thanked the three dozen participants for their hard work throughout the session, noted the gains the union made toward recouping full-time faculty lines and reiterated a lobbying suggestion made to the group by Assemblyman Chris Ortloff (R-Plattsburgh), a guest speaker.

"In speaking to lawmakers, our message must be clear and precise," Scheuerman said. "Stay focused on the UUP program, and make sure the legislators know that 'this is what we want.'"

Such a direct approach proved to be successful during the 2000 session, as — due to UUP's extensive lobbying efforts — state lawmakers supported a major component of the union's political agenda. Legislators allocated $4.4 million to restore some of the more than 1,000 full-time faculty lines lost at SUNY since the mid-1990s.

Clarity will be important again when committee members resume their meetings with legislators next session about solving the complex, $116 million annual shortfall burdening the three SUNY teaching hospitals.

"While this issue is complicated, UUP's bottom line is simple," said Patricia Bentley of SUNY Plattsburgh, chair of the Legislation Committee. "The state's solution to this crisis must include resolving the deficit and supporting academic programs while continuing to preserve the public mission of providing vital clinical care to the communities the hospitals serve."

Another goal is for the committees' volunteer lobbyists to continue building on the relationships they've developed with lawmakers at the Capitol in the legislators' home districts.

"District visits offer lobbyists more time to spend with legislators," said Phillip Smith, UUP vice president for academics, who also serves as officer liaison to the Political Action Committee. "And that familiarity will encourage lawmakers to seek you out when you're in Albany or they visit your campuses."

The committees welcomed several new members to their ranks, including UUPer Lydia Johnson, an ultrasound technologist at Stony Brook HSC.

"I'm very impressed, seeing the enthusiasm among the committee members to get the union's legislative program accomplished," Johnson said after a spirited planning session.

"Legislative activities are an aspect of the union's work that many members find rewarding," said John Marino, UUP vice president for professionals and officer liaison to the Legislation Committee. "Participating in the legislative process gives UUPers with an interest in politics the opportunity to go directly to state lawmakers and make an impact."

Statewide appeal: SEFA campaign officially kicks off

Most people believe that charity begins at home, but for thousands of state employees, charity begins in the workplace.

Since Sept. 1, workers have been stepping forward to make donations at the start of the annual State Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA) campaign, a program that allows them to use payroll deduction to give to the charity of their choice.

The campaign got under way in a sweep of kickoffs throughout the state that began in September and continued this month. Each state agency and SUNY campus was the site of an event to mark the opening of the campaign.

At breakfast and luncheon gatherings all over New York, employees were introduced to this year's theme, "Give a little. Help a lot!" and had a chance to view a new SEFA video featuring two UUP members.

UUP Vice President for Academics Phillip Smith was selected to be part of the video based on his experiences as a recipient of services administrated through SEFA, as a SEFA activist on his campus at Syracuse HSC and as a donor to the program. He candidly reveals how SEFA was there for him and his family, and how they have, in turn, given back to the program.

UUPer Michael Lyon of Syracuse HSC is also part of the video, sharing the reasons that he donates to the program.

SEFA has been in existence since 1983; last year the campaign generated a record $7.74 million.

UUP President William Scheuerman is first vice chair for the statewide campaign.

SEFA leaders have started an initiative to reach out to retired state employees to ask them to participate in the 2000 campaign. Retirees are being asked to consider if they are already involved with a SEFA-supported agency: Perhaps they attend a senior center; volunteer with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program; have a grandchild in day care; have had a loved one helped through a Hospice program; or utilize Meals on Wheels. All of these programs need support, and retirees are needed to help. They can make a one-time contribution to SEFA, volunteer to work at a SEFA-supported agency, work with the campaign team at their former work site, or work with a regional campaign team.

Interested retirees should contact Michael Graziade, state Department of Motor Vehicles, at (518) 486-7402 or via e-mail at mgraz@dmv.state.ny.us.

State employees can donate biweekly amounts to hundreds of charities listed in the SEFA booklet. Agencies include services that support clean air and water, domestic violence programs, help for the disabled, job training and self sufficiency for families in Third World countries.

Skies ho! Demand soars for aviation program at SUNY Farmingdale

In pilot lingo, when a plane is ready for takeoff, someone gives the thumbs up sign. It's a universal acknowledgment that it's "all systems go." In that respect, you could say the entire aviation program at SUNY Farmingdale has a trail of thumbprints all over it.

Beginning as a two-year degree program, the aviation school soloed as a four-year program in 1995, offering bachelor of science degrees in professional pilot and aviation administration. Located not far from metropolitan New York, the Republic Airport flight school challenges students to navigate skies in corridors surrounding some of the biggest airports in the world. Republic itself is the third busiest airport in the state, due to corporate business and flight instructors, said UUPer Victor Bellard, chair of the aviation department.

Everything in the world of aviation seems to come down to patterns: weather patterns updated to the minute on computers showing radar images from satellite weather links; flight patterns filed by the student pilots; even patterns of speech, all revolving around airplanes.

The aviation department had been in existence since 1968, but it had not acquired any new airplanes since 1978.

Then college officials decided to start leasing the compact fiberglass Diamond Katana as a means to upgrade the program. However, the petite planes ended up needing two and a half hours maintenance for every hour in the air — a reversal of the standard upkeep requirements.

Fixing old planes is part of the hum of daily life here: A 1978 Cessna is in the hangar now, being overhauled from "stem to stern," according to UUPer Larry Lopez, director of maintenance. He's the guy who handles the stack of squawks –– flight reports listing any maintenance problems. For this particular overhaul, the price tag is about $100,000 to replace everything right down to the cables, but it's still a savings when compared to the $180,000 for a new plane of similar caliber.

"It's constant," Lopez said. "We have 14 airplanes of various ages and we're restoring an older part of the fleet with all new avionics."

The clamor here for new equipment is steady, like the whir of an airplane propeller. Interest in the program continues to soar, according to Dave Schlafman, director of flight training operations. Five years ago, there were 30 in the entering class; this fall, close to 100 freshmen made up the total enrollment of about 300.

"Within five years, I expect to have over 500 students in the department," Schlaf-man said. "The demand for pilots is going through the roof." The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) mandatory retirement age of 65 is creating space for many new pilots.

UUP member Stephen Campbell is the chief pilot for the program. When he first signed on with the college, he was the person you'd have to strain your neck to see: If he wasn't overhead, cloud-bound with a would-be pilot, he was on the ground, carrying oil, greeting people, fixing up the building or tracking training. Now the program has more helping hands, like dispatcher Jeannette Quinn, another UUP member, who handles schedules and payments and updates information on airworthy planes.

This has freed Campbell to use energy to share his expertise. He developed a course syllabus, which has received FAA approval. On a daily basis, he is up in the air about five hours a day with students; he also works with them on an indoor flight simulator to test them in life-like emergencies that can send a plane spinning.

To help resolve some of the program's financial needs, Bellard said Farmingdale has a proposal dubbed "SUNY Air" that would allow the college to generate income by supplying statewide charter service to traveling SUNY officials.

The college has submitted the proposal to the SUNY Board of Trustees.

UUPers in the news:

Kudos for faculty and staff: A number of SUNY faculty and staff members have earned prestigious honors and awards: Noreen Williams, an associate professor of microbiology at Buffalo HSC, was selected to chair the International and Cooperative Projects Sciences Study Section, Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health; Kathleen Heckman, assistant director for alumni relations, SUNY Buffalo, recently received a Circle of Excellence Award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education for the university's alumni mud-volleyball tournament; and Thomas Ralabate, an assistant professor of theater and dance at SUNY Buffalo, was invited by the Joffrey Ballet to teach master classes in jazz to scholarship students selected to attend the company's 2000 Summer Intensive Program.

Inspirational writing: Michele Bazab Reed, associate director of public affairs at SUNY Oswego, is the author of one of 79 selections in Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul: Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit of Writers. More than 5,000 stories were submitted.

Reed's contribution to the book, "Cash Rewards," tells of an experience she had writing as a student intern for her hometown newspaper in Amsterdam, Montgomery County. She invited her father to join her on assignment at a Johnny Cash concert. The story recounts how the experience drew the two closer.

"My father was always supportive of my being a writer," she said, "but I don't think he really appreciated what it meant until then."

Friend of SUNY nominations due

UUP members have less than a month to finalize their nominations for the 2001 Friend of SUNY Award.

The annual award recognizes distinguished service to the state university. It also seeks to strengthen and enlarge the community of leaders dedicated to the progressive development of public higher education in New York State.

Nominations are due at the UUP Administrative Office, 159 Wolf Road, Albany, N.Y. 12205-1177 no later than Friday, Oct. 13.

Nominations are reviewed by the Legislation Committee, chaired by Patricia Bentley of SUNY Plattsburgh. The committee submits its recommendations to the UUP Executive Board.

Each UUP member may only submit one nomination per year. Nominations must be made, in writing, and should specify why an individual, agency or group should be considered.

Each nomination must be endorsed by at least three other UUPers. Nominating documents must include the authors' addresses and phone numbers.

For a nomination form, contact Bentley, campus UUP chapter offices, or Thomas Kriger, UUP director of research/legislation, at the UUP Administrative Office at (518) 458-7935.

Past winners have included John Mather, who formed the Preservation of the State University of New York Association; state Comptroller H. Carl McCall; the SUNY Mayors Coalition; the Fiscal Policy Institute; Assembly Higher Education Committee Chair Edward Sullivan (D-New York); and Senate Higher Education Committee Chair Kenneth LaValle (R-Seldon).

Write an essay, win a scholarship

Women Count, a national nonpartisan media campaign and educational program to mobilize women voters, is holding an essay contest for young women on the topic, "Why my vote counts."

The grand prize is $5,000 toward college, university or school expenses, as well as a two-day trip to the nation's capital. While in Washington, D.C., the winner will tour the White House and have lunch with prominent female elected officials.

The contest is open to American female college students ages 18-24. Essays of between 250 and 1,000 words must be written in English and submitted by midnight, Oct. 13.

Entries may be submitted electronically to scholarship@womencount.org or mailed to Women Count, 340 Pine St., Suite 302, San Francisco, Calif. 94104.

Essay topics may include the history of women suffrage, the importance of civic participation in women's lives or how women have affected social change though their participation in the political process.

More information is available at www.womencount.org or by calling Women Count at (415) 421-VOTE.

There is no entry fee.

Winners will be announced Nov. 1.

Three SUNY trustees resign; one named

The SUNY Board of Trustees will have a different look — if not a different political bent — this year with the resignation of three of its members. Leaving the 16-member board are:
• Vice Chair Erland Kailbourne, who is reportedly being considered for an appointment to the state Banking Board;
• Paul Perez, who has relocated to California; and
• Nicole Kim, recently appointed to be a U.S. Immigration Court judge.

Gov. George Pataki has already named Aminy Audi, a partner and executive vice president with the Stickley furniture company of Manlius in Onondaga County, to replace Kim.

Audi, who has received state Senate confirmation, is a graduate of New York University. She is a former freelance writer and a reporter for Voice of America.

Member benefits: Lots of info coming your way

A lot of new benefits, upgrades and changes will be headed your way in the next couple months.

First, enrollment for the new flexible spending account program — now called the Health Care Spending Account — runs from Oct. 16 to Nov. 17. This program allows you to designate pre-tax money to be taken from your paycheck to pay for unreimbursed medical expenses.

For complete information, contact the program administrator and request an enrollment kit at either (800) 358-7202 or www.flexspend.state.ny.us.

Effective for dates of service on or after Nov. 1, there will be some upgrades to the UUP Benefit Trust Fund dental program. Dental implants will be covered at 50 percent of UCR (usual and customary rate). Implants were not previously covered.

Also, periodontal cleanings will be covered at 80 percent of UCR and will be allowed twice per year, in addition to regular dental cleanings. Previously, they were covered at 50 percent of UCR.

Also effective Nov. 1 are several upgrades to the Fund's vision program. First, coverage of $200 per eye will be provided for eligible members and covered dependents that undergo lasik surgery. Davis Vision has contracted with providers to offer discounted rates to UUPers — reimbursement will be paid regardless of the provider you select.

However, you may save more money by using a participating provider. Also, consider the Health Care Spending Account to cover your out-of-pocket expenses.

The second vision program enhancement is coverage for a Dilated Fundus Evaluation (DFE). This is an exam that can be performed by an eye-care provider if he or she believes it may be helpful to you. Through DFE, an examiner may be able to detect diseases such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Only patients the providers believe may benefit will be dilated.

Another enhancement: Effective Nov. 1, you will no longer have to request a vision voucher. Simply make an appointment with a participating provider, who will contact Davis Vision to verify your eligibility. You can always check eligibility at Davis Vision's Web site (www.davisvision.com) or by calling (800) 999-5431.

Also coming in November: the enrollment process for the Sick Leave Exchange Program, which allows eligible members to exchange three sick days for $300 to be used toward health insurance premiums. The enrollment form will be on the UUP Web site as soon as it is available.

Check out the revamped UUP Web site at www.uupinfo.org for up-to-date benefits information. Under the benefits section, you can find complete information about the programs provided under the Benefit Fund, including the new scholarship program.

At the site, you can now print any of the following: a Delta Dental claim form, the Fund scholarship application and the Fund student-proof form for children between 19 and 25 who are attending college. We'll continue to add forms to this section as soon as they become available to us.

Don't hesitate to call UUP Member Benefits at (800) 887-3863 with questions.

The Last Word: With heartfelt thanks: HERE Local 471 grateful for UUP solidarity

We would like to take this opportunity to both alert and thank UUP, its officers, staff and membership for the overwhelming support they have lent to a small, private-sector union — the Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Employees and Bartenders Union (HERE) Local 471, AFL-CIO.

As you may know, our union organized the cafeteria workers at SUNY Albany in the spring of 1999. Little did we know the opposition we would face for the next 12 months, fighting for recognition and the right to negotiate a contract. Luckily, when we reached out to the unions on the campus for their support, UUP defined what union solidarity really meant through its actions, through its concerns and through thick and thin. "An injustice toward one is an injustice toward all" was the motto of all of those who got involved.

Ivan Steen, Larry Wittner, Rosemary Hennessy, Tom Hoey and many, many other faculty members at SUNY Albany (some of whom were untenured) helped by standing tall with the cafeteria workers and supporting them at rallies, coordinating distribution of leaflets, and serving on our organizing committees and support groups. Thanks to these efforts and support, the students, the unions and the cafeteria workers not only became empowered but the administration, the community and the media recognized that united we could not be beat — that we were a force to be reckoned with. We were successful because of this unity.

The SUNY Albany administration did not renew its food-service contract with the employer that refused to recognize the union. Instead, SUNY Albany awarded its food-service operation to Chartwell's, which did agree to recognize and bargain collectively with us. We are presently in negotiations with Chartwell's and everything is pointing in the right direction. Additionally, the National Labor Relations Board issued its ruling in favor of the union, stating that the unit was appropriate and that the former Albany food-service company should have recognized Local 471 and bargained with us.

While none of these successes would have been possible without your support, we would like to point out two other areas of deep significance, not only to us and the cafeteria workers at SUNY Albany, but which should be known and shared statewide with your members. When we called on UUP for its support, not only did your local members stand up and fight back, but your statewide president, Bill Scheuerman, your Executive Board and staff were there at the front line as well. Indeed, this was our proudest moment. Being recognized and honored through all of your support during this struggle was our single greatest achievement for which we will be forever grateful and will never forget. Simple words cannot express our appreciation. Your solidarity is unwavering.

During all of the struggles ongoing at SUNY Albany, we were faced with a hostile takeover at a unionized hotel on Wolf Road in Albany. The new owners fired many union activists, including our chief shop stewards, and refused to recognize the union. We had no choice but to organize a rapid picket line. We faxed a notice to the unions in the area. The next morning as we approached the hotel, there was a large group of people assembled carrying a huge banner. As we drove a little closer, we couldn't believe our eyes. Yes, that banner said "United University Professions." Your great President Scheuerman, other officers and staff were standing tall and proud and picketed with us for several hours. Additionally, President Scheuerman went into the hotel and told the general manager and owners how upset UUP was with this situation and that UUP would not do business at that hotel under these anti-union conditions. A few days later, this hostile employer broke down and recognized our union. How do we thank UUP again and again? How do we convey what great leadership you have?

What can we say about your union and your leadership? Only that you are the greatest and most sincere people that we have had the pleasure of knowing and working with. You've given the labor movement new breath, new hope.

None of our struggles is over. There will be many more. HERE Local 471 will be making its presence known on many other SUNY campuses and we look forward to strengthening the labor movement through our strong relationship. We are forever indebted to you, we thank all of you and you can count on us in any way, shape or form when it comes to UUP. Thank you for the wonderful experience of dealing with dedicated union activists. There is hope.

In solidarity and fraternally,
Wolfgang Hammer, Business Manager
Theresa Hammer, President & Organizer
Larry Jackson, Organizer

Every vote counts

By William E. Scheuerman
UUP President

Election Day is quickly approaching and I want to take this opportunity to remind you to vote. A democracy is based on the principle of popular sovereignty and the vote is a fundamental means of exercising that sovereignty. So, on Nov. 7, please vote.

Your vote counts. The winner of the 1960 presidential election was determined by about one vote from each election district. A single vote in Congress established English over German as our national language. Just think about the course U.S. history might have taken if German had become our national language way back in the 18th century.

Your vote this November is going to determine the direction of many far-reaching issues, issues like who sits on local, state and federal courts. Issues like health care, Social Security, local highways and national defense.

Issues like education.

As you consider the merits of each candidate, I hope you will give particular weight to their records on education.

And then I hope you will conclude that the candidates endorsed by your union deserve your vote.

Let me tell you a little about our endorsement process. We make our endorsements as part of an open and democratic process involving more than 100 elected leaders of NYSUT locals. The endorsements are not based on party affiliation, but on how a candidate stands on specific educational and labor issues. We endorse those candidates, regardless of political parties, who we believe will do the most for public higher education in New York state.

You are a member of the educational community and you know that, no matter where your candidates stand on other issues, how they vote on education will have a deep, immediate and far-reaching impact on you and your family. Please keep that thought in mind when you enter the voting booth on Nov. 7.