UUP makes more headway as 2002 session concludes

Union leaders at SUNY’s Colleges of Technology (UCTs) have begun implementing recent gains made by UUP on behalf of faculty there. UUP efforts last session led to $2.42 million in state support for the technology colleges, and UCT chapter leaders are now negotiating with campus presidents as part of a multiyear plan to address salary inequities and the need for additional full-time faculty lines.

Each of the colleges will develop an individual plan tailored to the specific requirements of its campus.

“We were successful in getting the funding for the UCTs and good things are happening as a result,” said UUP President William Scheuerman. More-over, UUP’s victory “captured the attention of UCT presidents,” who acknowledged the union’s achievement for their colleges and are now looking at the issue of inequities on their campuses, he said.

Scheuerman reviewed the UCT gain and some of UUP’s other budgetary accomplishments during the union’s annual legislation and political action retreat last month (see related Sound bytes).

“This year, the state faced a budget deficit of about $8 billion,” Scheuerman told the union activists. “We waged our legislative program under those conditions.”

Despite the dire backdrop, UUP garnered the governor’s pledge to avoid layoffs — of both full- and part-time members — for budgetary purposes, as well as a $200,000 commitment to protect members’ jobs at the New York State Theatre Institute, Scheuerman reported.

“In a tough budget year when we couldn’t expect significant increases, we focused on the goal of no layoffs and met our objective,” he said.

UUP advocacy also resulted in SUNY’s inclusion in the budget’s traditional early retirement incentive (ERI), as well as beneficial language that allows for the replacement of academic and professional positions of employees who take the incentive.

Unfortunately, the state Division of Budget (DOB) adopted rigid regulations that thwart the intent of the replacement language.

“DOB’s regulations run against the grain of the legislation,” Scheuerman said. “We’re working with the governor’s office and the chancellor to fix this.”

The anti-sweatshop bill — part of UUP’s legislative agenda — became law in early August. The law ensures that state apparel purchases are produced using fair labor practices. SUNY and CUNY can refuse to sell clothing made in sweatshops, even if they carry the lowest price.

On another front, Thomas Tucker of SUNY Buffalo has become UUP’s Political Action Committee chair. A chapter delegate and statewide VOTE/COPE coordinator, Tucker — a master carpenter for the Center of the Arts at Buffalo — will also tap into his longtime experience with the theatrical stage employees union in his latest post. He replaces Frederick Floss of Buffalo State, who was recently appointed to the union’s Negotiations Team.

The Voice will provide further coverage of the legislation and political action retreat in an upcoming issue.

— Lisa Feldman Reich