we are uup - uupinfo.org
TRANSCRIPT
We Are UUP— Page 6
TTHE
Official Publication of United University Professions n The Nation’s Largest Higher Education Union Working For You
September/October 2015
THE
VoiceVolume 43, Number 1
The VOICE is the official publication of United
University Professions (UUP), bargaining agent for
the more than 35,000 academic and professional
employees of the State University of New York.
Contact UUP at P.O. Box 15143, Albany, New
York 12212-5143. Telephone (518) 640-6600 or
toll-free at (800) 342-4206. UUP’s Internet site
is www.uupinfo.org. UUP is Local 2190 of
the American Federation of Teachers (AFL-CIO)
and is affiliated with NYSUT and the National
Education Association.
UUP STATEWIDE OFFICERS
FREDERICk E. kOWAlPresident
J. PhIlIPPE AbRAhAmVice Presidentfor Professionals
JAmIE F. DANglERVice Presidentfor Academics
EIlEEN lANDySecretary
ROWENA J.blACkmAN-STROUDTreasurer
ARThUR m. ShERTzERMembershipDevelopment Officer
UUP COMMUNICATIONS DEPT.
mIChAEl lISIDirector of Communications
kAREN l. mATTISONAssociate Director of Communications
DONAlD FElDSTEINMedia Relations Specialist
DARRyl mCgRAThCommunications Specialist
ANgEll m. VIllAFAñECommunications Assistant
The VOICE is a member of the American Federation
of Teachers Communicators Network and the
International Labor Communications Association.
2 The Voice SepTember/ocTober 2015
Check out the latest at www.uupinfo.org:— It’s all academic: The new web portal for academics is a good place to find documents and other
information important to academic members of UUP. http://uupinfo.org/academics/academics.php
— UUP shares its position statement on contingent employment to coincide with Campus Equity
Week, Oct. 26-30. http://uupinfo.org/communications/uupdate/1516/151014.php
— New Campaign for the Future of Higher Education study says students hurt by hiring practices:
Universities are spending a lot more money on highly paid administrators than they are on faculty,
and that's not good news for students. http://uupinfo.org/communications/uupdate/1516/150917.php
WhAt’s insidet h i s i s s u e
10 UUP readies for contract talks
the negotiations team, negotiations Committee
and ad hoc advisory Committee are hard at
work soliciting members’ comments on what to
include in UUp’s contract proposals with nys.
aLso:
10—UUp names 18-member negotiations team
12—new counsel to the president hired
13—negotiations is a ‘human process’
14 SED agrees to discuss exams
seD agrees to meet with teacher education
professionals following UUp’s demand for an
investigation into flawed exams.
AlSo: 3 to the point
15 Comments sought on patent policy changes
16 two legislative interns hired
16 Give to scholarship fund through seFa
17 affiliates weigh in on hea reauthorization
17 Communications win international awards
18 UUper trains as nysUt canvasser
19 spotlight shines on UUpers
20 report of attendance to the 2015 nysUt ra
21 Who’s Who: chapter presidents’ contact info
22 save with flex spending accounts
23 UUp benefits: programs, services outlined
We Are UUP
Four members share their thoughts
on the benefits of being a union member.
6—David Lincoln of oneonta is working
hard to sign up new members.
7—Darlene Mercado of buffalo Center
twice felt the power of unions.
8—nevin alleyne of Downstate Medical
is grateful to UUp for saving his job.
9—Lou scala of Farmingdale took 18 years
to become a believer in all things union.
aLso:
4—nothing and no one will deter UUp from
strengthening and growing the union.
We Are UUP— Page 6
TTHE
Official Publication of United University Professions n The Nation’s Largest Higher Education Union Working For You
September/October 2015
Cover photo by Karen L. Mattison
inset photos by
DonaLD FeLDstein,
MiKe Lisi anD Mattison
FOllOw UUP
On FacebOOk
and TwiTTer!
Go to www.UUPinfo.orgto sign up today.
SepTember/ocTober 2015 The Voice 3
To the Point
History is filled with second
chances.
From Nelson Mandela to
Thomas Edison—whose
teachers told him he was “addled” and
unteachable—many have received the
gift of a second chance. The ability to
take that second chance and make good
speaks to a person’s fortitude and resolve.
Then there’s my second chance.
You see, a few years ago, I quit UUP.
I was angry and disappointed with the
union leadership, and I felt like the union
had quit me.
It wasn’t long before I realized I had
made a mistake. A terrible mistake.
Quitting wasn’t the answer. There was
too much good that could come from
being active in UUP, in a union that cares
about peace and justice, vital issues that
were and are dear to me.
So I came back. And I got my second
chance.
The members of my home chapter,
Cobleskill, welcomed me back with open
arms and elected me as chapter president.
Then, UUP’s delegates elected me to the
Executive Board. A year later, they
elected me president of UUP.
The good fighT
I cannot put into words how grateful I
am that you, my sisters and brothers, have
allowed me not only to return to the fold,
but to lead you at a time of peril for public
sector unions. In June, the U.S. Supreme
Court agreed to hear Friedrichs v. Califor-
nia Teachers Association, a case that could
destroy public sector unions.
In this issue of The Voice, you’ll read
much more about Friedrichs and the
menace it could be to UUP and unions
across the nation. You’ll also read about
how your union is responding to this
union-busting court case bankrolled
by anti-union billionaires such as the
Koch brothers.
This suit is nothing more than another
attempt by corporate elites to manipulate
the Supreme Court and take away basic
rights from working people. Yet, the
threat is real. If the court rules in favor of
Friedrichs—and its decision to hear the
case makes that a distinct possibility—
public sector unions will no longer be
able to collect agency fees from our fee
payers. But unions will still have to rep-
resent all bargaining unit members,
whether they pay fees or not.
It’s also an opportunity for us to turn a
negative into a positive. We must build a
more committed, active membership. We
must become leaner, meaner and stronger
than ever. We can, and we will, do it.
growing The union
This is UUP’s second chance.
For the first time in our 42-year history,
we will throw all of our efforts into turn-
ing fee payers into members, and mem-
bers into unionists. We must increase the
membership of this union.
I have set goals for this: I want UUP to
reach a membership percentage of 95 per-
cent by March 1, 2016. By June 1, I want
that number to increase to 99 percent.
I’m talking about getting all but 1 percent
of UUP’s bargaining unit members to
sign union cards by next June.
This work, UUP’s top priority, has
already begun. It can be done and it will
be done.
Now we need you to get involved. The
easiest way to get fee payers signed up is
by asking them. That’s all it took for me to
come back. Talk to your chapter leaders
about getting more involved in the union.
I know this isn’t an easy assignment, but
it’s what we must do to preserve UUP
and the protections it provides to you,
its members.
Remember: The Koch brothers would
like nothing better than to see UUP
wither and die.
The time to step up is now.
A second chance
UUp preSidenT Fred Kowal giVeS an inTerView To wnY labor TodaY pUbliSher Tom campbell
aT The 2015 Fall delegaTe aSSemblY in bUFFalo.
michael liSi
4 The Voice SepTember/ocTober 2015
Cover story
It took 77 words for UUP PresidentFred Kowal to sum up the union’sresponse to Friedrichs v. Califor-
nia Teachers Association.The passage, delivered in his speech
at the 2015 Fall Delegate Assembly,captures Kowal’s ire and resolveregarding the lawsuit, which coulddramatically weaken public sectorunions by barring them from collectingfees from workers they are legallyrequired to represent.
“I did not become president of UUPto be its last president,” Kowal told dele-gates. “This is personal for me and whatthe right wing is trying to do angers me,enrages me, and drives me to do all thatI can to ensure that we not only survivethis crisis, but that we emerge stronger.
“And with that strength, we take thelead in turning the tide against organizedmoney and reclaim our society fromthese destructive, greedy bastards!”
An ATTACk on unions
Kowal was referring to union-bustingbillionaires such as the Koch brothersand Koch-linked groups like the Ameri-can Legislative Exchange Council, theNational Right to Work Committee andThe Center for Individual Rights—which is representing California teacherRebecca Friedrichs and nine otherCalifornia teachers in the case.
The CIR filed the case in January. TheU.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the suitJune 30; the court will hear argumentslater this year and issue a ruling in 2016.
Friedrichs, the lead plaintiff, arguesthat paying fair share fees—known inNew York as agency fee—is unconstitu-tional. In reality, the case is a thinlyveiled attempt to drain power from pub-lic sector unions by cutting off their
main source of income: dues. “Friedrichs is simply about destroying
unions,” AFT President Randi Wein-garten told the Huffington Post in July.“It’s about trying to starve unions of anykind of funding structure they have.”
“Friedrichs was a wake-up call forUUP and for unions across the country,”said Kowal. “We will turn this crisis intoan opportunity to become stronger andmore united than ever before.”
Time for ACT ion
That work began months ago, whenUUP initiated a drive to activate mem-bers and get fee payers to sign unioncards. Working with NYSUT and AFT,the union has collected thousands ofpersonal email addresses to contact andrally its members. UUP is prohibitedfrom using SUNY’s .edu email ad-dresses for union correspondence thatcould be deemed political in nature.
UUP will use those personal emails, andspecialized computer software to locateand contact fee payers and invite them tojoin the union. And chapters are asking feepayers to attend union campus events.
Kowal has said he wants the union to
have 95 percent membership by March2016 and 99 percent membership bynext June.
“We have to work to make our mem-bers want to fall in love with their unionagain,” Kowal said.
“What we’ve learned is you have tohave a real, ongoing recommitmentwith your members,” said Weingarten.“The change here is to have an enduringrelationship.”
i Am uuPTo do that, the union is also develop-
ing its “I am UUP” campaign, whichwill feature UUP members sharingpersonal stories about why being aunion member is important to them.This issue of The Voice profiles fourdifferent UUP members who are proudunion activists.
The push will also include videos,social media, a media campaign and aUUP web page dedicated to following
Friedrichs, with detailed informationabout the case and its potential impacton unions.
“We will provide our members with aricher understanding of what it means
no retreat, no surrender
bY michael liSi
UUP relisheschallenges posed byunion-busting lawsuit
UUp preSidenT Fred Kowal TellS delegaTeS aTTending The 2015 Fall delegaTe aSSemblY
ThaT UUp will noT waVer in iTS commiTmenT To STrengThen and grow The Union.
Karen l. maTTiSon
SepTember/ocTober 2015 The Voice 5
to be a part of UUP and why we mustsurvive,” Kowal told DA delegates.
LeAn And meAn
UUP is also looking closely at waysto streamline the union’s day-to-dayoperations to save money while servingmembers more effectively. Earlier thisyear, the union’s statewide officersvoluntarily reduced their stipends;Fall DA delegates discussed shorteningDelegate Assemblies.
“Now we have a second chance:To go out to our membership, toaggressively pursue each and every feepayer and do all we can to make them fullmembers in our union, and to make everymember that we can reach into deeplycommitted members of our great union,”Kowal said. “If we don’t do this, we willnot survive for long should the SupremeCourt rule in favor of Friedrichs.”
free riders
If that occurs, public sector employeeswho leave their union could still benefitfrom union representation without payingfor it, as “free riders.” Public sectorunions in New York and 24 other statesare legally bound to represent unit mem-bers in contract negotiations for benefitslike higher salaries, health benefits, jobprotections and better working conditions.
A landmark 1977 Supreme Court case,Abood v. Detroit Board of Education,resolved the free rider issue by allowing
unions to collect agency fees from feepayers; the fees cover the union’s cost torepresent fee payers. Abood does not re-quire fee payers to join a union.
But Friedrichs is attempting to reverseAbood, and that outcome could serve todevastate unions.
“The intended effect (of Friedrichs)is to essentially bankrupt public sectorunions by allowing members to enjoyall the privileges of union representa-tion, including wage increases, healthcoverage and improved working condi-tions, while avoiding any financialresponsibility to help support the workdone by their union on their behalf,”National Nurses United Co-presidentJean Ross told the People’s World laborwebsite in June.
Kowal said he had no doubt thatgroups bankrolled by the Koch brotherswill pull out the stops to get agency feepayers—and even members—to quitpaying fees if the court rules forFriedrichs. Recently, the union receiveda call from such a group, seeking detailsabout union members and UUP.
Kowal also said anti-union elites aremaking false statements that dues arebeing used for political purposes. It’sillegal in New York to use union dues tosupport candidates or other political activi-ties; instead, unions collect voluntarydonations for political action funds, likeNYSUT’s VOTE-COPE nonpartisan fund.
reAdy for The f ighT
“We will face down the forces ofregression and oppression, the powerfulelites who would like nothing more thanto see us vanish and take with us whatremains of the progressive movement inAmerica,” Kowal told delegates. “Wewill turn this moment into our definingmoment, filled with the confidence thatright makes might and no Koch brotheror their corporate billions will stop us.Not today, not tomorrow, not any day.”
looking for more information aboutFriedrichs v. California Teachers
Association? These links will help:
NySUT fact page:http://goo.gl/TtD3Of
AFT fact page: http://goo.gl/VjlIUF
California Teachers Associationfact page: http://goo.gl/z3h5E9
AFSCmE fact sheet:http://goo.gl/ajao2b
NEA/AFT/AFSCmE/CTA/SEIUjoint release on Friedrichs:
http://goo.gl/2z4TbE
I am UUP.
Proud to be UUP.
From The Voice and ourcompanion online publication,The Echo, to social media andUUP-produced videos and TVads, you’re going to see thesephrases a lot over the next several months.
There’s an important reason for that.
I am UUP is the theme of UUP’s latest membershipcampaign. I am UUP is about being proud to be a union member. It’s about motivating members to becomeactive members. most importantly, it’s about getting
new members and agency feepayers to join UUP.
UUP fights for and protectsits members. Salary, healthbenefits, job security, job safety,respect in the workplace—these are all things that UUPbrings to its members.
Turn the page to begin reading about four UUP memberswho are proud to be UUP.
I am UUP.
We are UUP.
Proud to be UUP.
Cover story
6 The Voice SepTember/ocTober 2015
Being a UUP chapter member-
ship director right now is a
bit like throwing the deciding
pitch in the last game of the
World Series—a white-knuckle amount of
responsibility, with all eyes on you.
That doesn’t bother Oneonta Chapter
Membership Director David Lincoln a bit.
His career as a firefighter, emergency serv-
ices coordinator and emergency response
trainer has taught him to be cool under
pressure, while his outgoing, engaging
personality has always pointed him toward
direct action as a solution to problems.
“I have been very vocal on what we
need to be doing, instead of what we
should be doing,” Lincoln said in describ-
ing his take on union activism. “I’m not a
person to sit around—if there’s a problem,
I take it head-on.”
high-ProfiLe AssignmenT
Lincoln’s approach will serve him well
in his role as a UUP activist. As labor
awaits the outcome of Friedrichs v. Cali-
fornia Teachers Association, the test case
pending before the U.S. Supreme Court
that challenges agency fee payer systems
for public employee unions, Lincoln is
charged with persuading agency fee pay-
ers in his chapter to sign union cards and
become members.
That’s a crucial issue right now for
UUP, with the drive for 100 percent
membership coming straight from the
top. President Fred Kowal and the rest of
the statewide officers reiterated member-
ship as the theme of the 2015 Fall Dele-
gate Assembly, and urged chapter leaders
to carry this theme through in everything
they do. Local efforts such as Lincoln’s
work as membership director are vital to
the union’s future.
direCT buT friendLy
While Lincoln is working with all fee
payers, he is particularly interested in
approaching three groups of employees
on campus that often feel the most disaf-
fected but whom he believes would also
stand to benefit the most from the solidar-
ity the union offers. They are the assistant
athletic coaches, residential life staff and
adjunct instructors. All three groups have
high turnover and tend to have lower
union membership.
To reach potential members such as
these, Lincoln is using time-honored,
low-key approaches in persuading agency
fee payers to sign a union card: friendly
face-to-face conversations over a cup of
coffee or lunch, and small-group meet-
ings where members can talk openly and
get to know each other.
“I love coffee or lunch or breakfast—
it’s a more informal setting; it’s more
personal,” he said.
To gather in potential members who
come onto campus just as everyone else
is going home—most often adjuncts who
teach night classes—he has scheduled
late-afternoon gatherings so these col-
leagues can stop by before their class
begins, have a snack and hear about the
many good things the union has to offer:
a sense of unity, a voice for change and
necessities such as salary increases,
health benefits and job protections.
“By getting people there, breaking
bread, people will begin asking ques-
tions,” he said.
CALLed To serve
A unionist since he was 15 and worked
a summer job at a state park, Lincoln is the
SUNY Oneonta emergency manager—
one of the very few in the SUNY system
to handle this position as a full-time job,
instead of in addition to other assign-
ments. In this capacity, he is a civilian
employee of the Oneonta campus police
department and is responsible for plan-
ning the college’s response to situations
see Li n C o L n, page 22
oneonta’s Lincoln uses personal touch to build uuP bY darrYl mcgraTh
daVid lincoln, oneonTa chapTer memberShip direcTor and a new delegaTe, maKeS a poinT
aT The 2015 Fall delegaTe aSSemblY in bUFFalo in ocTober.
Karen l. maTTiSon
SepTember/ocTober 2015 The Voice 7
Darlene Mercado’s apprecia-
tion of unions began at
home.
“My dad was a union mem-
ber at Conrail, where he worked for
nearly 20 years before he got hurt on the
job. I believe if he was not in a union, he
would not have been able to keep his
benefits and support his family,” she
said. “Knowing how the union helped
him made me feel comfortable the union
would do the same for me.”
As a new SUNY employee at the
University at Buffalo in 2000, Mercado
didn’t hesitate to sign a union card and
become a UUP member. She hoped that
she’d never need the union’s help, but
she knew UUP would always be there
for her.
And it was.
A heLP ing hAnd
UUP came to her aid four years after
she joined the union; her job as a coun-
selor and student development coordina-
tor at UB’s Educational Opportunity
Center was in jeopardy. A UUP delegate
found out about her dilemma and told
her what steps she needed to take to
keep her position.
“I was still in a term position in 2004,
when I was given a one-year notice.
I was devastated, because I had finally
found the career for me,” she recalled.
“My job was saved and I owe it to
the union.”
Mercado has never forgotten how her
father’s union helped him and his fam-
ily, and how UUP stepped up when her
job was on the line.
“I take comfort knowing that I am part
of an organization that is concerned
about my career,” Mercado said. “The
union helps our voices to be heard.”
PAying iT forwArd
Because of what the union has done
for her and meant to her, Mercado has
been paying it forward, helping others
by taking an active role in UUP. She
serves as an elected UUP delegate and
co-chairs the union’s Committee on
Latino Affairs and its Task Force on
Issues of Diversity. She also has partici-
pated in union outreach, meeting with
state lawmakers to help promote aware-
ness and action on UUP’s legislative
concerns.
Mercado said her involvement in the
union’s statewide committees has helped
her “become a stronger advocate for
Latino and women’s rights.”
“For years, Darlene has been an out-
standing and outspoken advocate for
UUP and EOC,” said Tom Tucker,
Buffalo Center Chapter president and
co-chair of the union’s statewide UUP
Outreach Committee. “She has played
a significant role in outreach, not only
locally in Buffalo, but also statewide
in Albany. She is a valued member of
our chapter.”
oPening doors
Being a UUP member has opened
doors for Mercado. She’s taken advan-
tage of professional development work-
shops offered by UUP at its leadership
development conferences.
“The union has made me wiser in
understanding my rights as an employee,”
said Mercado, who was promoted to
EOC career services supervisor in
September 2014.
Thanks to the union, Mercado also has
had many opportunities to network with
colleagues and with members of other
unions and education groups.
“I truly love my job. I enjoy helping
students succeed,” Mercado said.
She loves her union, too.
“The union gives me peace of mind
in my job,” she said. “It provides
me with a sense of security, knowing
that, while things don’t always go well
in the workplace, our union is there to
help work things out.”
uuP provides peace of mind, opportunitiesbY donald FeldSTein
darlene mercado iS on The job aT The UniVerSiTY aT bUFFalo'S edUcaTional opporTUniTY
cenTer, where She worKS aS a career SerViceS SUperViSor.
donald FeldSTein
8 The Voice SepTember/ocTober 2015
Cover story
Nevin Alleyne never really
gave too much thought to
being a union member.
Until it mattered.
It began to matter after Alleyne, who
works as a clinical lab technician at
SUNY Downstate Medical Center, got a
letter from SUNY Downstate two years
ago. He was one of the hundreds of
employees who was earmarked to lose
his job as part of a plan to downsize the
Brooklyn hospital.
Before, Alleyne would attend union
meetings from time to time. He’d sit and
listen politely.
Not anymore. Now he’s an active union
member who understands the power and
protections that unions provide.
“Without UUP, I would have lost my
job,” said Alleyne, a native of Trinidad
who lives in Brooklyn. “Definitely.
When I got the letter, I was very con-
cerned about how I would provide for
my family. I began searching for jobs.”
Alleyne, who has worked at SUNY
Downstate for eight years, turned to his
union for help. UUP was there for him,
as it was—and is—for so many of his
colleagues.
“I heard the union was working to save
as many jobs as possible, and I contacted
the union,” he said. “It was nice to know
that in times of trouble, I could depend
on my union.”
“Nevin has been a devoted advocate for
Downstate and we appreciate his decision
to become an active chapter member,” said
UUP Treasurer Rowena Blackman-Stroud,
the Downstate Chapter’s president. “The
union helped him and now he’s helping
others through the union.”
defending downsTATe
Alleyne’s job is one of the hundreds of
SUNY Downstate jobs that has been
saved since the administration announced
plans to “restructure” the hospital in
2012. Those plans included cutting whole
departments and dismissing more than
1,000 employees.
Many of those job losses were averted,
thanks in large part to UUP’s advocacy
and intervention.
The union and its Downstate Chapter
staged dozens of rallies in Albany and
Brooklyn over the last three years, draw-
ing support from thousands of employees
and community members, and spurring
major media attention. UUP also helped
form the SUNY Downstate Coalition of
Faith, Labor and Community Leaders, an
outspoken grassroots organization of
community and religious leaders instru-
mental in gaining legislative support to
protect the hospital from privatization.
UUP has spent tens of thousands of
dollars on a series of ad campaigns call-
ing on legislators and the governor to
keep SUNY Downstate a full-service,
public hospital. The central Brooklyn
hospital cares for thousands of patients
each day, regardless of their ability to
pay for treatment.
While it’s true that some jobs have been
eliminated, many more have been saved,
thanks to union members like Alleyne,
who has joined the chapter’s spirited fight
to protect and preserve SUNY Downstate.
giving bACk
He became the union representative
for his department, and earlier this year,
he was elected as a chapter delegate.
Alleyne, who has traveled to Albany with
Downstate Chapter members to advocate
for the hospital, attended his first Delegate
Assembly in Buffalo in October.
“I plan on getting more and more in-
volved in the union,” he said. “There’s
always going to be a need for someone to
be there to help others, just like I was
helped. Now, I can help others who are
in the situation I was in.”
Alleyne grateful to uuP for saving downstate jobsbY michael liSi
michael liSi
downSTaTe chapTer delegaTe neVin alleYne waSn’T reallY inTereSTed in UUp—UnTil The Union
helped SaVe hiS job and ThoSe oF manY oTherS aT The cenTral brooKlYn medical cenTer.
SepTember/ocTober 2015 The Voice 9
Lou Scala’s father believes inunions. Lou Scala believesin his father, but he didn’tbelieve in unions.
Not until UUP stepped in and savedhis job.
“I believe the ‘seed’ of my involve-ment in UUP was planted by my father,”a sewing machine operator and longtimeshop steward with the InternationalLadies Garment Workers Union, Scalasaid. “But I was skeptical of unionsbecause I viewed them as decidedly left-wing and I was, at the time, partof the religious right.”
Fast forward to 2015, and Scala is abeliever, just like his father. He proudlycredits UUP “for not only saving myjob, but for helping me escape thematrix of my political world view.”
uuP sTePs uP
An associate professor of aviation, Scalajoined the SUNY Farmingdale faculty in1982 as a lecturer, and is fairly certain hesigned his union card right away. But headmits he wasn’t interested in what wasdiscussed at union meetings.
It took an injustice on the job tomake him see the union for what it is:the collective voice of working people.
That’s not uncommon for a lot of peopleworking in the technology professions.Many have come to SUNY from collegesand universities without collectivebargaining agreements, or from private-sector jobs, where unions are not com-monplace. According to a 2015 reportfrom the Bureau of Labor Statistics,professional and technical jobs in theprivate sector have among the lowestunionization rate, 1.4 percent in 2014.
Yet, it was atypical for a man who toldThe Voice he can still recall the ILGWUjingle, “Look for the Union Label.”
“Shades of Joe Hill,” Scala mused.Still, it took nearly 18 years for Scala
to become active in UUP.The problem began when Scala felt his
department chair and dean treated himunfairly when it came to financialadvancement. Scala spoke up. Suddenly,his job was on the line.
Thanks in large part to the “guidanceand wisdom” of longtime Farmingdaleunion activists Barbara Maertz and BobReganse—two recipients of the union’shighest honor, the Nina Mitchell Awardfor Distinguished Service—Scala wentalong with the union’s recommendationto accept a one-year sabbatical.
“The union navigated me through therapids,” he said. “Barbara and Bob hadmy back during the entire process; theyprotected me and helped me to see that asabbatical was the best way to go.”
That decision would prove to be one ofthe most rewarding of his career—and aboon for aviation students.
An ‘unexPeCTed benefiT’Scala spent his sabbatical shadowing the
lead certification safety inspector for theFAA Eastern Region’s Airports Division,covering nine states and hundreds of air-ports. The practical experience he gainedremains the “unexpected benefit” of a verydifficult situation.
“I have files from the hundreds ofairports I visited that I still use todayto provide practical, hands-on experi-ence to my students,” Scala said.He also used that experience to helpestablish the four-year Aviation Admin-istration degree program now offeredat the college.
“It was a bittersweet experience, butthe positives far outweigh the negativesbecause of the guidance of Bob, Barbaraand my union,” he said.
An ‘unshACkLed’ mind
Back on campus, Scala decided to giveback to UUP, first as a department repre-sentative and now as chapter academicgrievance person and as an electedstatewide delegate.
“Lou is one of the most ethical andhelpful persons I’ve ever met at the col-lege,” said Farmingdale Chapter PresidentVicki Janik. “Without fail, he supports ourcauses and our members with his words,his work and his presence.”
Scala is a believer in the “collectiveenergy and power of ‘union.’”
“I applaud the efforts of the UUPleadership team to enfold UUP into the‘family’ of unions,” Scala said. “I saw
this firsthand at a rally in Albany, wheremembers of the community, pastors,UUP and sympathetic state lawmakersstood to support SUNY Downstate.”
Scala also credits the union for broad-ening his view of the world.
“UUP and my local chapter not onlysaved my job, but helped to break theshackles, so to speak, on my mind,” hesaid. “Today, I am decidedly progressivein my thinking and enjoy reading articlesby those who offer counter viewpoints,such as Noam Chomsky, Amy Goodman,Richard Wolff ... and our own PresidentFred Kowal!”
“I really appreciate the current leader-ship of UUP because the struggle is somuch more than that of the workplace,”he added. “It is the struggle against theforces of neo-liberalism that seek todivide us and conquer us.”
That’s a long way to come for a manwho witnessed his first union protest inthe early 1980s and thought, “What did Iget myself into?”
bY Karen l. maTTiSon
Karen l. maTTiSon
scala sheds skepticism, becomes union believer
loU Scala became a belieVer in UUp aFTer Two
oF hiS Union colleagUeS helped To SaVe hiS job.
“Don’t let my soft-spoken demeanor fool you.I am tough. I will fight like hell for you.”
That’s how UUP Chief Negotiator PhilippeAbraham summed up his approach to negotia-
tions when addressing members at nearly two dozen visits toUUP chapters across the state. He said it in Western New Yorkand the North Country, in Central New York and on Long Island.
And he means it.“Philippe is well prepared to handle
this responsibility,” said UUP Presi-dent Fred Kowal, who named Abra-ham as chief negotiator in August.“He will serve all of us exceptionallywell at the bargaining table.”
The union’s contract with New Yorkstate expires July 1, 2016.
Abraham and members of theNegotiations Team have spent the lasttwo months visiting chapters to gather
information, ideas and anecdotes that will help the Team andNegotiations Committee draft the union’s contract proposals.The Committee—comprised of one member from each chapterand an additional academic part-timer and professional part-timer—is constitutionally charged with preparing proposalsfor negotiations and submitting the tentative agreement to themembership for ratification. Members can still share theirthoughts through a variety of venues, including further chaptervisits through October, an online member suggestion form,an upcoming contract survey and via email [email protected].
The union’s Ad Hoc Advisory Committee, comprised of oneacademic and one professional from each chapter, has also beengathering input on campuses. The Advisory Committee willmeet Dec. 16 as part of a 100-plus-person work group to pres-ent member issues to the Negotiations Team and Committee.
The Team and Committee will meet again Jan. 19-21, 2016,to review member comments from the negotiations survey,member suggestion forms, and other communications. Theywill then begin the process of analyzing member input to createa package of negotiations proposals.
UUP and the state could exchange proposals as early asFebruary 2016.
During the negotiations hearing at the 2015 Fall Delegate
see ne go T i A T i on s , page 12
10 The Voice SepTember/ocTober 2015
uuP readies forcontract talkswith the state Chief Negotiator J. Philippe Abraham
has served as statewide VP for profession-
als since 2011, and was a member of the
Negotiations Team for the 2007-2011
contract. He is a NYSUT board member
and one of three elected senators repre-
senting UAlbany on SUNY’s Faculty
Senate. “My team and I will work tirelessly
to secure the best deal possible for our
members. We will accept nothing less.”
Deputy/Associate Chief Negotiatormike Smiles is a professor of biology at
SUNY Farmingdale. A six-time Negotiations
Team member, he has served as an assis-
tant to the chief negotiator for multiple
contracts. He was Farmingdale Chapter
president for 13 years and is a former
member of the statewide Executive Board.
“Negotiations is the front line of unionism,
where you can help members directly.”
UUP negotiations: Meet the Team
bY Karen l. maTTiSon
Assistant Chief Negotiator Jason Torreheads the preservation department and is
an associate librarian at SUNY Stony
Brook. He serves as a delegate and chap-
ter VP for academics. This is his second
time as a Team member. “As a higher
education advocate, I feel it is my duty to
assist our members wherever and when-
ever I can. The negotiations process is a
significant avenue of doing so but, quite
simply, UUP asked again and I answered
the call to serve.”
Assistant Chief Negotiator Pamela maloneis director of student accounts at Empire State
College. She is ESC chapter president,
serves on the statewide Executive Board,
co-chairs the UUP Outreach Committee and
serves on several statewide committees. This
is her second time serving on a Team. She
believes her “organizational skills, the ability
to see various angles of a problem as well as
possible unexpected consequences, and
understanding of various needs of UUP mem-
bers” will again serve her well at the table.
kOWAl
bret benjamin is an associate professor
of English at UAlbany. He is president of
the Albany Chapter, chairs the UUP Consti-
tution Task Force and is a member of the
Globalization and Corporatization and
Outreach committees. He is looking for-
ward to serving on his first Negotiations
Team. “In addition to the obvious financial
pieces, my goals are improving contingent
employment, moving more people into
tenure-track lines, and family leave.”
Doug Cody is a part-time employee and an
associate professor of chemistry at Farm-
ingdale. He is serving on his first UUP
Team, but believes his prior experience
with negotiations and more than 40 years
of unionism will serve him well. He is a
chapter delegate and officer for contin-
gents, and is a member of the Contingent
Employment and Technology Issues com-
mittees. He agreed to serve because he
wants “equity for all members.”
SepTember/ocTober 2015 The Voice 11
Ray Dannenhoffer is associate dean for
support services at Buffalo HSC. He is a
four-time Negotiations Team member and
has served on the statewide Executive
Board. He is Buffalo HSC chapter presi-
dent, and a member of the HSC Concerns
and Outreach committees. He believes
“job security, bargaining unit erosion, real
promotional opportunity for professionals
and fair treatment for part-time faculty” are
of top concern to UUP members.
Jen Drake is an academic tutor in the
Academic Support and Achievement
Program at Cortland. She is chapter VP
for professionals and a delegate, is VOTE-
COPE co-coordinator for UUP, and serves
on the Grievance, Membership, Technology
Issues and Outreach committees. This is
her first time as a Team member. “I believe
that securing fair terms and conditions of
employment for all of our members is at
the heart of everything we do as a union.”
mike lyon, an associate professor of
otolaryngology at Upstate Medical Univer-
sity, is a two-time Team member and was
on a previous Ad Hoc Advisory Committee
for Negotiations. He is on the statewide
Executive Board and serves as chapter
president, co-chair of the HSC Concerns
Committee and member of the Grievance
and Outreach committees. “I want to help
get the best contract possible.”
Idalia Torres is a lead programmer analyst
in IT Services at Fredonia. A statewide
Executive Board member, she is a delegate,
co-chair of the Committee on Latino Affairs,
board liaison to the Women’s Rights and
Concerns Committee, and a member of the
Membership Committee and Task Force
on Issues of Diversity. She is a three-time
Negotiations Committee member; this is her
first time on a Team. “I’m looking forward to
fighting for the best contract possible.”
Paula White is managed care coordinator
at Downstate Medical Center. She is chap-
ter VP for professionals, serves as a dele-
gate, and is a member of the Affirmative
Action, Membership and Outreach commit-
tees and Black Faculty Staff Association
Task Force. This is her first time on a Team.
“My chapter is unique and so, too, are my
members’ needs and the challenges we
face. Serving on the Team would ensure
that some of their needs are addressed.”
Anne Wiegard is a full-time lecturer in
English at Cortland. She served on the
Team for the 2011-2016 contract and has
been a member of the Negotiations and
Ad Hoc Advisory committees. She is an
Executive Board member, chapter delegate
and member of the Contingent Employment
and Outreach committees. “Job security
and lack of due process for contingents
and maintaining current health insurance
coverage” are key issues to consider.
Patricia ghee is an associate academic
advisor in Academic Support Programs at
Buffalo State. She is a two-time Team
member and serves as a delegate, co-chair
of the Scholarship Development Committee
and a member of the Black Faculty Staff
Association Task Force and Scholarship
Selection Committee. She agreed to return
to the Team because “there are still areas
that need improvement and I want to follow
through with trying to implement them.”
Carolyn kube is a clinical lab technologist
at Stony Brook HSC. She is a three-time
Team member and served on UUP’s
Executive Level Committee to address
part-time concerns. She is an Executive
Board member and serves on the Contin-
gent Employment, Elections and Creden-
tials, and HSC Concerns committees,
among others. “I feel I bring a wealth of
historical knowledge of what has worked
or not worked at the table.”
Tom Tucker is a senior staff assistant in
the Center for the Arts at the University
at Buffalo. He is Buffalo Center Chapter
president and a delegate, co-chair of the
UUP Outreach Committee and an ex officio
member of the Retiree Legislative Action
Group. He believes his 20 years with UUP
and more than 35 years in organized labor
will “help me work to get a better contract
for our members.”
bill Tusang is an associate professor of
mathematics at Cobleskill. He is chapter
president and a delegate, and serves on
the Grievance, Technology Sector and
Veteran Affairs committees. As a first-time
Team member, he is looking forward to
hearing what members have to say about
the contract. He brings “persistence and
perspective” to the table.
beth Wilson is a lecturer in art history at
New Paltz. She is chapter president and a
delegate, a member of the statewide Exec-
utive Board, is board liaison to the Labor
and Higher Education and SOUL commit-
tees, and is a member of the Contingent
Employment Committee. She is a first-time
Team member. “It is important the contract
recognizes the special needs of contingent
members regarding job security, seniority
and reappointment, among others.”
Ezra zubrow is a professor of anthropol-
ogy at the University at Buffalo. He is a
member of the statewide Executive Board,
co-chair of the Task Force on Shared
Governance and Globalization and Corpo-
ratization Committee, and chapter VP for
academics and a delegate. He has twice
been on the Negotiations Committee and is
serving his first stint on a Team. He brings
to the table “strong statistical skills, a legal
background and clarity of analysis.”
UUP negotiations
UUP has hired a counsel to the president whose firstand highest priority is working alongside ChiefNegotiator Philippe Abraham and the NegotiationsTeam at the bargaining table.
Elizabeth Hough, who began as counsel to the president in lateOctober, comes to UUP with “extensive experience negotiatingcontracts in the public sector, specifically in New York,” saidUUP President Fred Kowal. “I am confident that Elizabeth willbe a strong addition to our Team for what promises to be chal-lenging contract talks with the state.”
Hough is an attorney with 30 years of experience serving oncontract negotiating teams for the Public Employees Federationand other unions, including locals of the United Steelworkers,United Auto Workers, and the Hotel Employees and RestaurantEmployees.
She has worked for more than 20 years in PEF’s ContractAdministration Department, first as an associate counsel and forthe last five years as director of contract administration.
During that time, Hough said she was “deeply involved” in all
aspects of negotiations, interpreta-tion and enforcement, includingproviding counsel and professionalassistance to six bargaining teams intalks with the Governor’s Office ofEmployee Relations. She served asPEF’s chief negotiator in a recentround of contract talks.
In the early 1990s, Hough was alaw partner with Gurian Hough &Bickson in New York City, representing plaintiffs in civil rightsand employment law claims.
Hough received her J.D. from New York University School ofLaw and her undergraduate degree in history from the Univer-sity of Wisconsin. She held a one-year Women’s Law and PublicPolicy Fellowship at Georgetown University Law Center inWashington, D.C.
“I look forward to working closely with Elizabeth as UUP andour Negotiations Team work diligently to negotiate a successoragreement that is fair and equitable for all of our members,”Abraham said.
Counsel to the president to assist TeambY Karen l. maTTiSon
hOUgh
negoTiATionscontinued from page 10
Assembly Oct. 2-3 in Buffalo, sev-eral delegates commented on anumber of issues they would likediscussed at the table.
Chief among them: contingentconcerns, professional and librar-ian issues, salaries, and other termsand conditions of employment.Abraham urged delegates to invitetheir colleagues to fill out membersuggestion forms, and to sharepersonal stories about problemson their campuses.
uniTed in uuPAbraham also stressed the importance
of uniting behind the union once the sidesface off.
That sentiment was echoed by MarkRichard, counsel to the president at AFTand a longtime union negotiator. Hespoke with Team and Committee mem-bers and new activists in separate gather-ings prior to the DA. His message wasclear: The state may have the money, butUUP has the numbers.
“You have to pledge your unity toUUP,” said Richard, noting how the otherside often preys on unions that “fightfrom within” or blame the union leader-ship for prolonged contract talks.
“It’s critical for you to send the messageto the governor that you are unified, thatyou will not be divided against oneanother,” Richard said. “You can debate,argue and disagree with UUP all you want,but once a decision is made, everyone
must be on board and supportive.”Kowal said rank-and-file members will
be kept informed throughout the negotia-tions process via regular website postings,mailings from Kowal, articles in The
Voice and The Echo, and online athttp://uupinfo.org/negotiations/index.php.Periodic updates and other informationwill be provided to chapter presidents fordistribution through chapter websites,newsletters, fliers and meetings.
12 The Voice SepTember/ocTober 2015
Karen l. maTTiSon phoToS
aboVe, mariTime chapTer preSidenT barbara warKenTine SpeaKS
oUT aT The negoTiaTionS hearing aT The 2015 Fall da. aT leFT iS
Vp For proFeSSionalS and chieF negoTiaTor philippe abraham.
negotiations is really a ‘human process’(Editor’s note: The following was
written by former NYSUT director
of field staff Anthony Wildman, and
was first published in The Voice in
December 1994.)
Negotiating a contract isa human process. Itstimeline cannot bemeasured in the regular
intervals of a metronome. Instead ofa steady tick tock, it is episodic,punctuated by periods of great activ-ity and periods of deafening lulls.And, like all human activities, it re-quires people to be ready to do some-thing—in this case, to be ready toagree. It seems so simple but, whenyou are talking about distributingscarce resources and sharing power,agreement doesn’t come easily.
Power, noT PersuAsion
We in higher education are attuned toreasoned and rational argument. But thisis the antithesis of negotiating a laborcontract. Negotiations involves choice,priorities and power—not persuasion.How much of the scarce resources andpower the union will gain for its membersis balanced by the amount of scarceresources and power management iswilling to give up.
The formal preparation for negotiationsbegins up to six months before the processactually starts. During that time, all sidesconsult their constituents and developtheir proposals. Once the proposals areexchanged, there is a general expositionof the positions, issue by issue, proposalby proposal. This is followed by a clarifi-cation period when each side probesthe meaning and, more importantly, theimplications of the others’ proposals.
Next comes the trying-to-agree stage. Itstarts with the easy items, items on whicheveryone might already agree or whichdon’t really present a power or resource-distribution question. Some people will saythat agreeing can be habit-forming, but it’smore realistic to say that this stage of coop-erative behavior allows for an understand-
ing of the personalities on each side:insight into how everybody works and,hopefully, the development of respect andtrust crucial for arrival at a final agreement.
The trying-to-agree stage is followedby a long, very slow period when theparties get ready to tackle the hard is-sues. How long is long? Impossible tosay. Long enough to get them ready.This period of inactivity ends when theparties begin to take very tentative stabsat ways to approach solving the ques-tions they are facing. “What if” scenar-ios are frequent introductions todiscussions about solutions. By thistime, all the parties will be extraordinar-ily familiar with the details of all theproposals and their implications. It be-comes difficult to hold a normal conver-sation with an outsider because most ofthe participants will have reduced theirvocabulary to a shorthand, and theirthinking will be five or 10 moves ahead.
A sTressfuL ProCess
At this point, all the effort that wentinto creating a Negotiations Team comesinto play. The stresses on the Team arevery real, much like that experienced by atrial jury. More arguing, disagreeing and
debating is done within the Team thanwith the other sides. Gradually the Teamcomes to see a way to resolve its differ-ences. UUP takes great care in selectingthe Team and giving its members ampleopportunity to get to know one another.A good deal of the training is focused onhandling the stress they will experiencein the process. Without conscious team-building activities, this arguing, disagree-ing and debating can be debilitating.However, no amount of theoretical train-ing can prepare Team members for theemotional and physical battering theywill take in the arduous process of nego-tiating a contract. Negotiations is not forthe faint-hearted.
reALizATion hiTs
Settlement usually comes very quickly.Why? Inertia almost creates its own en-ergy. Mixing and matching occur—
“I can do this if you can do that.” The in-timacy everyone has developed with thedetails makes it possible to deal very rap-idly with the complicated pieces that willmake up an agreement. Gradually the“what if” scenarios and the mixing andmatching create a little agreement, then alittle more agreement, then a little moreagreement. Almost without knowing it,the sides are facing the one or two mostbitterly contested items.
Another period of inactivity may occurat this point, but basically everyone willcome to realize that the form of the set-tlement is obvious and that any otheroption is neither feasible nor workable.With considerable—indeed dramatic—emotion, people put the final agreementstogether. “Hammer” is a word frequentlyused to describe this part of the process,and hammer correctly describes the en-ergy needed at this point. Everyone whohas participated in this titanic mentalstruggle is first filled with euphoria,knowing the job is finally done, fol-lowed by regret, remembering all thehopes that have fallen by the wayside.It is an extraordinarily human process,and the more it is seen, the more it is tobe marveled.
SepTember/ocTober 2015 The Voice 13
In response to UUP’s demand foran investigation of the state’s newteacher certification exams, StateEducation Department Deputy
Commissioner John D’Agati has agreedto meet with groups of teacher prepara-tion practitioners convened by UUP todiscuss the exams.
Pearson representatives will be called infor these meetings, the first of which isscheduled for November.
Given the fact that SED and Pearson—the national testing corporation giant thatdesigned and administers the new certifi-cation exams—have been largely unre-sponsive to the call for a full investiga-tion of the exams, their decision to meetrepresents a major step forward for theunion and its teacher education coalitionpartners. It’s also an acknowledgmentthat others—including a number ofRegents and lawmakers—are demandinganswers on the severely flawed certifica-tion process.
“This is a constructive step,” said UUPstatewide Vice President for AcademicsJamie Dangler. “We remain committed toour call for an investigation into thisproblematic situation, but we welcome anopportunity to set those concerns beforeCommissioner D’Agati and the Pearsonrepresentatives. We have been askingthem for some time to respond to ourconcerns, and up to very recently, thoserequests were ignored.”
sPeCiAL ed ConCerns
The meetings will address different sub-ject areas and specific complaints aboutthe exams, including the awkward com-puterized format that requires studentstaking the tests to repeatedly scroll backand forth between different screens. Thefirst subject area to be discussed will bespecial education and will include facultyfrom the State and City universities ofNew York and private colleges withexpertise in preparing college students towork as special education teachers.
The Multi-Subject Content SpecialtyTest required for the Students with
Disabilities 7-12 Generalist certification isof particular concern. Special educationteachers have always been expected to beversatile in several subjects, because theyoften work with very small groups ofstudents and there may not be a specialeducation teacher on staff for every sub-ject area. But the new content specialtytest requires teacher preparation studentsto demonstrate a far higher degree ofmastery in subjects they are unlikely toever teach in the classroom—future socialstudies teachers being asked, for example,to demonstrate competence in calculus.It also has an imbalance in the number ofquestions for each subject area. In May,UUP made a formal request to SED, onbehalf of its members and students, for asafety net for this new test. No action hadbeen taken as The Voice went to press.
unreAsonAbLe requiremenTs
Students required to take this particularexam have told compelling stories ofcareers that were almost derailed whenthey learned that they had to pass a sub-ject area many had never studied at all,or had not studied since high school.Such was the case for SUNY Brockportstudent Eric Mann, who graduated with
strong grades and extensive practical ex-perience working in a disabilities servicesjob prior to college. But he failed the con-tent specialty test for special educationsocial studies by seven points because ofthe calculus requirement. At the time, hehad a job lined up in Fredericksburg,Va., which he was not sure he would beallowed to start without a passing gradeon the New York content specialty test.
Mann was allowed to start his job; hedoes not have to take the Virginia equiva-lent of that particular test until later.
“I worked so hard, and I still failed,”Mann said of his efforts in New York. Heoriginally wanted to pass all four of therequired New York certification exams sothat he could return to his home state. Buthe is so happy in his new job and findsthe Virginia certification deadlines andrequirements so much more reasonablethat he’s not sure he will ever return.
“Why would I want to come back toNew York?” he asked. “I can’t count howmany teachers are here from New York.”
TeACher brAin drAin
The very real fear of a “brain drain”of talented young teachers from NewYork, coupled with pronounced declines
Teacher prep faculty to meet with Pearson, sedbY darrYl mcgraTh
14 The Voice SepTember/ocTober 2015
UUP front
Vpa jamie dangler anSwerS qUeSTionS dUring The UUp TaSK Force on Teacher edUcaTion
meeTing aT The 2015 Fall delegaTe aSSemblY in bUFFalo.
darrYl mcgraTh
SepTember/ocTober 2015 The Voice 15
Agreat university is a
goldmine of great
ideas, and UUP has
long made it a prior-
ity to protect the rights of its
academic and professional faculty
who hold patents or dream of doing
so one day.
That’s why UUP President Fred
Kowal is urging members to familiar-
ize themselves with SUNY’s pro-
posed changes to its Patents,
Inventions and Copyright Policy, and
to submit
comments and questions about them
through a portal on the UUP website at
http://uupinfo.org/negotiations/intel-
property.php. The proposed changes can
be reviewed on the portal.
“It is the union’s position that SUNY’s
proposal contains confusing language and
that, while the proposal is not intended to
affect the university’s copyright policies
in general, the separation of the copyright
and patent policies is not clear,” Kowal
said. “We need to hear from our mem-
bers, who can help inform us about the
ways the proposed changes will affect
them and their work.”
Members can also send their comments
to UUP Vice President for Academics
Jamie Dangler, at
“It would be especially helpful for us
to hear from members with patent experi-
ence,” Dangler said.
In September, Dangler met with faculty
on some campuses to hear their concerns.
Additional campus meetings and confer-
ence calls with patent holders were
scheduled in October.
UUP learned about SUNY’s proposed
changes after they were presented to the
University Faculty Senate last April.
Changes that involve mandatory sub-
jects of collective bargaining must be
formally negotiated with UUP. The
union’s officers, along with labor re-
lations specialists and attorneys, met
during the summer to discuss the
proposal, and UUP held prelimi-
nary discussions with SUNY.
Now, the union wants to hear
from members.
“This is an important
issue for thousands of our
members,” Kowal said.
“UUP has an obligation to
ensure that members’ rights
are protected in all aspects
of the workplace, from
health and safety to the safeguarding of in-
tellectual property and inventions. We in-
tend to follow this, and members can
be very sure that SUNY knows we will
continue our oversight and look out for
members’ best interests before this policy
becomes effective.”
bY darrYl mcgraTh
September 201
5
Message from
UUP President
Fred Kowal
UNITED UNIVERS ITY PROFES SIONS PR ES ID ENT FRED ER ICK E. K OWAL, PH.D.
518.640 .6600 FAX: 518.640 .6698 WWW.UUP IN FO .ORG
SUNY has prop
osed changes t
o its
Patents, Inventio
ns and Copyright
Policy,
which includes t
wo separate sec
tions:
Patents and Inve
ntions Policy and
Copy-
right Policy. SUN
Y’s FAQ on its pr
oposal
and information
presented during
webi-
nars held in Ma
y, June and July
2015
focused on chan
ges to the Paten
ts and
Inventions Policy
. However, SUNY
’s pro-
posal contains la
nguage that is co
nfusing
and does not cla
rify the place of t
he cur-
rent Copyright Po
licy section in a
revised Title J. T
he
proposal should
be reviewed t
o ensure mem
bers’
intellectual prop
erty rights are pr
otected.
UUP’s role
Changes to SUNY
’s Patents, Inven
tions, and Copyri
ght
Policy may involv
e mandatory sub
jects of collectiv
e
bargaining that
must be formally
bargained with
UUP.
We are in the pr
ocess of consult
ing with our atto
rneys
and gathering inp
ut from member
s to prepare for
substantive disc
ussions with SUN
Y.
UUP actions to
date
UUP first learned
of the proposed
changes in Apri
l,
when SUNY pres
ented a new dra
ft of Title J to th
e
University Facult
y Senate. We rec
eived the initial
draft from senat
ors who attende
d that meeting a
nd
contacted SUNY
about the need t
o discuss it. At a
n
April 27 Labor-M
anagement mee
ting, SUNY expla
ined
its planned timet
able and the pro
cess it laid out fo
r
adopting change
s to Title J. UUP
officers, labor re
la-
tions specialists
, and attorneys b
egan to review a
nd
analyze the draf
t. UUP officers p
articipated in se
veral
informational we
binars during the
sum-
mer to hear SUN
Y’s explanation o
f the
changes. The off
icers met with at
tor-
neys to analyze
potential impacts
on
terms and condit
ions of employm
ent.
On July 29, SUN
Y formally presen
ted its
proposed chang
es to UUP at a La
bor-
Management mee
ting and address
ed
UUP’s initial ques
tions. UUP and SU
NY
had a follow-up
discussion Sept. 2
. With
the new academ
ic year underway
, UUP
is in a position to
solicit comment
s from its memb
ers to
better assess the
impact of SUNY
’s proposal.
Need for additi
onal analysis, U
UP member inp
ut
UUP needs to rev
iew the propose
d changes to Tit
le J
in light of the com
plex and variable
circumstances t
hat
characterize the
work our memb
ers do across SU
NY
institutions. Our
officers, labor re
lations specialist
s,
and attorneys ar
e involved in this
review. We also
need to hear fro
m our members,
who can help in
form
us about the wa
ys the proposed
changes will im
pact
them and their w
ork.
Go to UUP’s we
b page to send
member
comments and
for further inf
ormation
Visit www.uupin
fo.org to submit
your comments,
questions and su
ggestions to UUP
. SUNY’s draft
changes to Title
J and FAQ are po
sted on the site.
For more infor
mation or guid
ance contact:
VP for Academic
s Jamie Dangler
at
jdangler@uupma
il.org
VP for Profession
als Philippe Abrah
am at
pabraham@uupm
ail.org
UUP Needs Inp
ut from Membe
rs on Proposed
Changes to SU
NY’s
Current Title J
(Patents, Inven
tions and Copyr
ight Policy)
Title J, SUNY Boa
rd of Trustees Po
licies; Section 33
5.28 of the New
York Codes, Rul
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in teacher preparation programs aroundthe state, are fueling UUP’s challenge tothe teacher certification process. UUP hasbeen working hard with NYSUT, theProfessional Staff Congress/CUNY andteacher preparation faculty and concernedpractitioners in and outside of the unionfor more than two years.
At an Oct. 2 meeting of the UUPTask Force on Teacher Education at the2015 Fall Delegate Assembly in Buffalo,Dangler told members that the unionneeds to respond to declining teacherpreparation enrollment, because the statedoes not seem to be doing so. Enrollmentin teacher preparation programs statewide
has declined by 40 percent—more than25,000 students—in the five years be-tween the academic years of 2008-2009and 2012-2013, the most recent years forwhich federal statistics from the HigherEducation Act are available.
“Maybe our first step should be toshare information among ourselves aboutwhat we’ve done to engage students,”Dangler said. “NYSUT and UUP want tocome up with strategies to draw peopleinto teaching. That’s part of changingthe conversation—we need to get someconcrete ideas out there to attract peopleback into teaching.”
UUP began holding small-group meet-
ings with members of the New YorkState Board of Regents nearly a year agowhen it became clear that SED wouldcontinue to defend the new exams.Whatever the outcome of the meetingswith SED and Pearson, discussions withthe Regents will continue. Fall semestermeetings with members of the RegentsHigher Education Committee have beenscheduled on two SUNY campusesso far.
Said Dangler, “We are at a criticaljuncture since student exam safety netsexpire in June. Unless these exams arefixed, excellent teacher candidates will bedenied teaching certification in our state.”
UUP front
UUP has hired two legislativeinterns.
Jasmine Clemons andAlison King joined UUP this
summer. Both are students pursuing mas-ter’s degrees in public administration fromUAlbany’s Rockefeller College of PublicAffairs and Policy. They are serving as JohnM. Reilly legislative interns through the 2016 legislative session.
Their responsibilities include tracking legislation, arrangingvisits to lawmakers’ offices, and researching and analyzingissues for possible legislation.
Prior to joining UUP, Clemons worked with the state Depart-ment of Transportation. She researched and analyzed policiesregarding public transportation access for seniors, the disabledand low-income individuals. She’ll use those analytical skillsto help UUP prepare for the 2016 legislative session.
“I was looking to do something more on the advocacy side,”Clemons said. “This just seemed a good fit, and I was happy tohave an opportunity to work more on legislative issues.”
Clemons was born in Lake Charles, La., and grew up inLouisville, Ky. She earned her undergraduate degree last yearfrom Troy University in Troy, Ala., where she studied political
science and business. Around her studies atRockefeller College, she is president of thestudent affairs association and a member ofthe Junior League of Albany, a women’sservice organization.
King, from Lake Oswego, Ore., graduatedfrom the University of Oregon, where shestudied economics and political science. Butshe’s no stranger to the Empire State.
“My parents are from New York, so somemight say I’m an honorary New Yorker,” King said.
She refined her research skills by studying patterns of parkingviolations in Eugene, Ore., for her economics honor thesis.She presented her findings to city officials.
King’s goals for her internship mesh perfectly with thoseof UUP.
“As a SUNY student, I am invested in maintaining high-quality and affordable public higher education,” she said.
“This is an activist era for labor,” said UUP President FredKowal. “We are facing challenges from forces that want todismantle unions, and it is good to enlist new participants in ourefforts. This should be a great internship experience for bothwomen, as well as beneficial for us.”
The internship is named in honor of the late John Reilly,UUP’s president from 1987-1993.
uuP welcomes two legislative interns
ClEmONS kINg
bY donald FeldSTein
16 The Voice SepTember/ocTober 2015
UUP, SEFA unite for scholarship fund
New York state public
employees are using
the State Employees
Federated Appeal program to
donate to the UUP College
Scholarship Fund.
The SEFA campaign solicits
charitable donations through
payroll deduction; the UUP
scholarship program was added
this year. To make a donation,
state employees must enter
Charity #999-02156 on the
authorization card enclosed in
their paychecks. SEFA contri-
butions will be accepted
through Dec. 31.
“We are very excited to be
included in this worthwhile
campaign,” said UUP Secretary
Eileen Landy, officer liaison to
the UUP Scholarship Develop-
ment Committee, which came
up with the idea to apply as a
SEFA charity. “SEFA is a great
way to invite others to help us
grow our scholarship fund and
to help our outstanding SUNY
students get the college educa-
tion they deserve.”
Throughout the campaign,
which kicked off Sept. 1, SEFA
coordinators in 23 regions will
hold events and activities to
promote participation in the
program.
UUP will receive a report
from each region where an indi-
vidual has contributed, as well
as a list of donors who author-
ized release of their names for
acknowledgment purposes.
bY Karen l. maTTiSon
SepTember/ocTober 2015 The Voice 17
The American Federation ofTeachers, the NationalEducation Association andthe American Association
of University Professors recentlyreleased joint recommendations onthe reauthorization of the federalHigher Education Act.
The HEA governs federal financialaid programs. The HEA was set toexpire in 2013, but was extendedthrough 2015 while Congress workson a new plan. According to educationinsiders, the final bill will likelyaddress college costs, access, studentloan programs, and accreditationand oversight.
The seven-page joint documentincludes a call to make college moreaffordable, and to invest in faculty andstaff. The education groups believe it iscrucial that any changes to the HEAprotect the interests of students, facultyand staff.
“It’s vital that our national affiliatesguide lawmakers to pass the best reau-thorization bill in the HEA’s 50-yearhistory,” said UUP President FredKowal. “Anything less is a disserviceto our students, our members and ourinstitutions of higher learning.”
sPeLLing iT ouT
The joint statement includes bulletedlists of recommendations on access,affordability and diversity; quality,financial accountability, fraud/abuse,and student services; and teacherpreparation.
“The disinvestment of states fromhigher education in the course of thisgeneration has been dramatic,” thestatement reads. “This threatens thestatus of higher education as a benefitto the community and undermines thehistoric commitments embodied in theHigher Education Act.”
“We must reclaim the promise ofthe Higher Education Act—that is,
creating a real opportunity for studentsto graduate from high-quality institu-tions of higher education withoutburdensome debt.”
ACCess And AffordAbiLiTy
The organizations believe the newHEA should provide the greatest fed-eral financial aid to the lowest-incomestudents looking to attend college, andthat the first two years of collegeshould be free for everyone.
Among the other recommendations:• Restore Pell Grants to 70 percent of
tuition at public four-year colleges anduniversities.
• Don’t exclude otherwise eligiblestudents from receiving federal finan-cial aid because of immigration statusor the status of their parents.
• Expand the loan forgiveness pro-gram to include educators teaching allsubject areas in high-need publicschools and all contingent faculty inhigher education.
They also call on Congress tostrengthen programs geared to therecruitment and retention of diversestudents, faculty and staff, and to ensurethat students who face language barriershave the resources necessary to succeed.
ACCounTAbiLiTy
Federal aid should finance only insti-tutions that “exhibit a basic level ofquality and integrity,” according to thestatement. Among their ideas:
• Provide incentives for institutionsthat “... transition from a majority con-tingent instructional workforce to awell-supported, predominantly full-time and tenure-track faculty.”
• Continue institutional accreditationas a condition for participation infederal financial aid programs.
• Oppose direct or indirect federalintervention in the standardization ofcurriculum, testing and academicmaterials in higher ed.
The full statement can be read athttp://bit.ly/1OnRcPD
AfT, neA, AAuP weigh inon heA reauthorizationbY Karen l. maTTiSon
UUP communications winfour international awards
UUP can add four more honors to itscollection of awards for outstandingcommunications efforts.
The International Labor Communica-tions Association has recognized theunion’s monthly magazine and website,as well as a five-minute video, in itsannual awards contest for work pro-duced in 2014.
The winning entries are:• First place, Electronic Media, for the
video “On the Avenue” about the 2014Labor Day parade in New York City; itwas filmed and produced by Director ofCommunications Mike Lisi.
• Second place,Best Front Page,for the Novem-ber/December2014 Voice cover“2+2=3” on theState EducationDepartment’sfaulty teachercertificationdata. Thecover, above, was designed byAssociate Director of CommunicationsKaren Mattison.
• Second place, Best Website/Content.Content for the UUP website is producedby UUP Communications staff; Lisiserves as editor and webmaster.
• Third place, Best News Story, for theJune 2014 Voice article “Labor awaitsHarris v. Quinn decision,” written by Lisi.
— Karen L. Mattison
Unions, red cross sign pactEight national unions announced Oct. 1
that they ratified a first-ever nationalcollective bargaining agreement withthe American Red Cross.
The agreement covers nearly 4,000ARC workers, who will be represented bythe AFT and the seven other unions thatformed the ARC Union Coalition.
“When front-line professionals have avoice in decisions that affect their work,they can focus on providing excellentservice—and everyone wins,” said AFTVice President Ann Twomey, presidentof the Health Professionals and AlliedEmployees.
TTHE
Official Publication of United University Professions n The Nation’s Largest Higher Education Union Working For YouNovember/December 2014
SED releasesfaulty data as ameans to its end:Fewer teacher ed programs— Page 4
Affiliate news
18 The Voice SepTember/ocTober 2015
The biggest problem VincentCommisso faced in histraining as a door-to-doorcanvasser this summer for
NYSUT was that he often found conver-sations with target voters so engaging thathe lost track of time.
But, as any canvasser knows—no matterhow stimulating the exchanges on frontporches, in driveways and across fencesmight be—you have to keep walking,checking off house numbers and lookingfor small signs of progress. What if the per-son you’re seeking isn’t home or no longerlives there? Is the person who answeredthe door instead a future activist?
Commisso, 33, is a UUP member and agraduate adjunct in political science atUAlbany. This summer, he was the firstUUP member to sign up for training as acanvasser in a pilot program called thePublic Education Voter Project, whichNYSUT ran in two regions with two part-ner organizations. In the Capital Region,it was Citizen Action of New York;downstate, it was the Long Island Progres-sive Coalition.
buiLding ConTACTs
Canvassers-in-training targeted swingvoters likely to have children, and asked ifthey were concerned about three hot issuesin public education: excessive testing ofstudents, the underfunding of publicschools, and creeping privatizationthrough corporations and rich individualswho see ripe pickings in publiceducation. Based on the voters’responses, the canvassers then triedto build a lasting relationship byasking if the responder would bewilling to make calls to a lawmaker,to attend a forum on the issues orparticipate in future activities.
As the six-week pilot drew to aclose, NYSUT had garnered nearly1,500 positive responses, in which some-one indicated a concern about one or moreof the issues and a willingness to do some-thing about it. NYSUT also had collectedabout 800 personal email addresses.
NYSUT will evaluate the results with aplan to expand beyond the pilot phasenext summer.
members know besT
“We saw this project as a way to help ourmembers become more involved and todevelop real expertise,” said NYSUT Exec-utive Vice President Andy Pallotta. “No onecan deliver these urgent messages aboutpublic education better than members whoare living and working with these problems
of over-testing, underfundingand privatization efforts.”
UUP was delighted that amember took advantage of thetraining, said statewide Mem-bership Development OfficerArthur Shertzer.
“Not only is this a goodopportunity for an activistUUP member, but it also can
help grow the ranks of activist members inother unions,” Shertzer said. “We knowthat there really is strength in the solidarityof numbers.”
Albany Chapter President Bret Benjamin
describes Commisso as a “thoughtful,committed member, with a real ardor fordoor-to-door organizing.” Commissocertainly brought plenty of personal com-mitment and political chops to his training.His wife is a teacher and NYSUT member.His father, Frank Commisso, is majorityleader of the Albany County Legislatureand a longtime Albany ward leader. Hisbrother, Frank Commisso Jr., is on theAlbany Common Council.
LeArning on The go
Vincent Commisso exuded energy andenthusiasm as he approached one of hislast canvassing shifts on an August after-noon. He downed a peanut-butter-on-hard-roll lunch mostly while on his feet as hereviewed his materials at NYSUT head-quarters. On his way to the SchenectadyCounty neighborhood of his assigned terri-tory, he alternated between discussions ofglobal power structures and the closer-to-home need to cultivate union activism.
He described the summer training asvaluable, noting that “you learn stuff and itwarms you up for dealing with different
bY darrYl mcgraTh
uuPer trains as canvasser in nysuT pilot project
darrYl mcgraTh
albanY chapTer member VincenT commiSSo aSKS a SchenecTadY coUnTY reSidenT aboUT
iSSUeS oF concern in pUblic SchoolS. commiSSo, who waS Training aS a canVaSSer ThroUgh
a nYSUT piloT projecT, worKed For Six weeKS in capiTal region neighborhoodS dUring
The SUmmer, going door To door To SpeaK wiTh liKelY VoTerS.
Member spotlight
ShERTzER
E ach year, hundreds of uuP members publish books and articles, and are recognized for accomplishmentson campus and in their communities. The voice is pleased to recognize three members in this issue.
Neil Haney, aninstructional supportassociate at SUNYCanton, has inventeda new and morereliable way to oil thebar and chain on com-mercial chainsaws.
He has filed aprovisional applica-tion through the U.S. Patent and Trade-mark Office.
Haney’s invention uses a positivedisplacement pump or generated rotorto provide the oil necessary to reducefriction and extend the life of the saw’scutting parts.
Haney is an alumnus of the college’sautomotive technology program and hasworked with the powersports performanceand repair program for 10 years.
Robin Kimmerer,a distinguished teach-ing professor atSUNY EnvironmentalScience and Forestry,addressed the UnitedNations GeneralAssembly April 27,speaking for 20 min-utes as part of theU.N.’s commemoration of InternationalMother Earth Day.
Kimmerer, a botanist and ecologist, wasone of three people invited to address theGeneral Assembly as part of an interac-tive dialogue called “Harmony withNature: Towards achieving sustainabledevelopment goals including addressingclimate change in the post-2015 develop-ment agenda.” Among her comments tothe U.N.: “The easiest way to have whatyou need is not to waste what you have.”
Former UUP Presi-dent Bill Scheuerman
will be honored Dec. 8with the Kate MullanyMedal for his lifelongunion activism.
The medal honorslives, organizationsand efforts that havemade significant con-tributions to the labor movement. It isnamed for the Irish immigrant whoformed and led the country’s first all-female union, the Troy Collar LaundryUnion, in 1864.
The two other recipients are Assembly-woman Patricia Fahy (D-Albany) and theCoalition of Labor Union Women.
Scheuerman led UUP from 1993-2007.A political science professor at SUNYOswego, he served various leadershiproles in NYSUT and the AFT.
hANEy SChEUERmANkImmERER
Spotlight shines on UUPers
SepTember/ocTober 2015 The Voice 19
people.” He also learned that “it can beawkward doing this, at first.” He dressedfor comfort—hiking boots, shorts and aT-shirt proclaiming him as one ofNYSUT’s “Ambassadors for PublicEducation 2015.”
Engaging, outgoing and polite in hisdelivery of his message, Commissodecided at the beginning of his trainingthat his thick black beard was actuallyan advantage—it made him look like aregular guy. He encountered no overtrudeness or suspicion.
PosiTive resPonses
Not everyone was receptive to hismessage, but on this day he struck acanvasser’s version of gold at twohomes. At one, Lisa Williams, aNYSUT support staff member whoworks for the Mohonasen CentralSchool District, told Commisso she wasconcerned about all three issues: over-testing, underfunding and privatization.She gave her email address and pledgedher future support to organizing efforts.
“I’m especially concerned about priva-
tization,” she told Commisso. A numberof districts around the state have triedto privatize their transportation, shenoted, and have quickly discovered thatit’s not always the savings they expectit to be.
At another home around the corner,Commisso found David Maurice, a men-tal health counselor who often works oncontract to public schools, to be excep-tionally engaged. Maurice used gesturesand nods to punctuate his points aboutthe need for counseling services for stu-dents. In fact, Maurice was so interestedin talking, and Commisso so interestedin listening, that he had to finally make apolite departure so that he would havetime to complete his route.
It was all in a day’s learning, a day inwhich Commisso reminded himself thatcanvassing is a balancing act betweenengagement and efficiency.
“When someone is interested, youwant them to remember that it is aboutgetting involved,” he said, summarizingthe summer’s greatest lesson. “So tryingto achieve that is important.”
survey on sexual assaultconfirms ‘1 in 4’ statistic
Anew survey of sexual assaulton college campuses showsthat nearly a quarter of female
college students experience nonconsen-sual sexual contact, confirming the“1 in 4” statistic so widely published byothers who study the problem.
The survey, published in Septemberby the Association of American Univer-sities, included 150,000 participants at27 research-intensive universities.While AAU is releasing only aggregateresults, most participating schools havepublished the study’s campus-specificsexual assault statistics for their institu-tions. Among those publishing campusdata are the five colleges that havefaculty and/or staff represented byAFT affiliates.
The survey was designed to helpinstitutions develop preventive policyand services for survivors.
The full survey is available athttp://bit.ly/1LTIZMM
In accordance with uuP policy, a report of attendance of elected delegates to affiliateconventions is distributed to all bargaining unit members. below is the attendance reportfrom the 2015 nysuT representative Assembly held may 1-2 in buffalo.
meeting codesGS = General SessionBRK = BreakfastCOM = CommitteeELE = Elections
attendance codesX = Present at SessionLA = Late Arrival
report of attendance to the 2015 nysuT rA
name chaPTer GS1 GS2 ele brk GS3Abraham, J. Philippe ........................Albany ..........................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XAbrahams-Nichols, Redetha.............Downstate Medical Center...........................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XAdamo, Josephine P. ........................Buffalo State ................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X ..................Anderson, Virginia M. .......................Downstate Medical Center...........................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XArnavut, Ziya.....................................Fredonia.......................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XAxlerod, Harvey ................................Buffalo Center ..............................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XBaker, Natalie ...................................Downstate Medical Center...........................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XBalkon, Nancy ..................................Stony Brook HSC.........................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XBentley, Patricia W............................Plattsburgh...................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XBerger, Jacqualine G. .......................Empire State College ...................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XBlackman-Stroud, Rowena J. ..........Downstate Medical Center..........................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XBolinsky Hegmann, Moriah R. ..........Buffalo Center ..............................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XBraund, Carol V. ...............................Upstate Medical University ..........................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XBryan, Margaret A.............................Stony Brook HSC.........................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XCurry, David G. . ...............................Plattsburgh...................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XDangler, Jamie F. ..............................Cortland .......................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XDannenhoffer, Raymond P. ..............Buffalo HSC .................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XDecker, Derrik W...............................Fredonia.......................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XDrescher, Nuala McGann .................Buffalo State ................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XDrummond, Edward..........................Stony Brook HSC.........................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XErmanovics, Albert J. ........................Buffalo Center ..............................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XFallek, Maryann ................................New Paltz.....................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XFlax, Henry S. ...................................Downstate Medical Center...........................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XFloss, Frederick G. ...........................Buffalo State ................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XFormato, Michael A...........................Upstate Medical University ..........................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XFranco, Candelario ...........................Old Westbury ...............................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XGalbraith, Jeanne L. ........................Stony Brook HSC.........................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XGhee, Patricia D. .............................Buffalo State ................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X ..................Gizzi, Carol .......................................Stony Brook HSC.........................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XHaines, Joyce M. .............................Empire State College ...................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XHenry-Offer, Brenda M......................Empire State College ...................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XHoey, Thomas C. .............................Albany ..........................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XHsie, Atlas J. .....................................Utica/Rome ..................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XInventasch, Harvey...........................Cortland .......................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XKasprak, Robert J. ............................Optometry .........................................................................................................X...................X ..................X .................XKowal, Frederick E. ..........................Cobleskill......................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XKreh, David H. ..................................Cortland .......................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XLandy, Eileen ....................................Old Westbury ...............................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XLewis, Milton P. .................................Downstate Medical Center...........................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XLewis, Sandra A................................Fredonia.......................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XManning, Tina Maria E......................Stony Brook HSC.........................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XMaraviglia, Frank L. ..........................Environ. Science & Forestry ........................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XMayers, Darlene E. ...........................Farmingdale ......................................................................................................X...................X ..................X .................XMcAteer, Charles F. .........................Stony Brook .................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XMcMahon, James A. ........................Empire State College ...................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XMcNitt, F. Glenn ................................New Paltz.....................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XMcTigue, Ellen ..................................Downstate Medical Center...........................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XNelson, Malcolm ...............................Fredonia.......................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XNorton, David....................................Downstate Medical Center...........................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XRelan, Nand K. .................................Stony Brook HSC.........................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XRomero, Rafael F..............................Utica/Rome ..................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XRussell, Eric P...................................Downstate Medical Center...........................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XSchaffer, D. Jo ..................................Cortland .......................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XSchneider, Robert C. .......................Brockport......................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XShertzer, Arthur M. ...........................Stony Brook .................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XSoutherton, Kathleen........................Stony Brook HSC.........................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XSteen, Ivan D. ...................................Albany ..........................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XStempniak, Richard A. ......................Buffalo State ................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XStern, Irene M. ..................................Stony Brook HSC.........................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XStrempel, Patricia D..........................Upstate Medical University ..........................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XTang, Chi-Ming..................................Geneseo ......................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XTang, Jasmine K.Y. ..........................Geneseo ......................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XTorre, Jason......................................Stony Brook .................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XTucker, Thomas J. ...........................Buffalo Center ..............................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XUrbanski, Henry................................New Paltz.....................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XWardlaw, Roosevelt ..........................Buffalo Center ..............................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XWesnofske, Edward R. .....................Oneonta .......................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XWiegard, Anne ..................................Cortland .......................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XWilliams, Benjamin J.........................Stony Brook HSC.........................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X ..................Wishnia, Arnold.................................Stony Brook .................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XWishnia, Judith .................................Stony Brook/Retired Delegate .....................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XZinser, Deborah A. ............................Plattsburgh...................................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................XZubrow, Ezra.....................................Buffalo Center ..............................................................................X ..................X...................X ..................X .................X
20 The Voice SepTember/ocTober 2015
Who’s who
morrisvilleSteve hinkle
(315) 684-6260
Potsdamlaura rhoads(315) 267-2260
Old westburykiko Franco
(516) 876-3345
Purchaseconnie lobur(914) 251-6615
Oneontabill Simons
(607) 436-3498
Optometrykim Oliver
(212) 938-5515
Stony brook hSccarol Gizzi
(631) 444-1505
Oswegolori nash
(315) 312-3264
System admin.John leirey
(518) 320-1470
Plattsburghkaren Volkman(518) 564-5305
Upstate medicalmike lyon
(315) 422-5028
albanybret benjamin(518) 442-4071
buffalo Staterich Stempniak(716) 878-5732
alfredJoe Petrick
(607) 587-4313
cantonbrian harte
(315) 386-7967
binghamtonbenita roth
(607) 777-5000
cobleskillbill Tusang
(518) 255-5205
brockportJosé Torre
(585) 395-5698
cortlandJoe westbrook(607) 753-5517
buffalo centerTom Tucker
(716) 645-2013
delhidaniel klossner(607) 746-4274
buffalo hScray dannenhoffer
(716) 829-2540
downstate medicalrowena
blackman-Stroud(718) 270-1519
on the front line
Stony brookarty Shertzer
(631) 632-8948
Below are yourchapter presidents
and how to reach them.
empire StatePamela malone(518) 587-2100
eSFJohn View
(315) 470-4863
FarmingdaleVicki Janik
(631) 420-2321
FredoniaZiya arnavut
(716) 673-3864
Geneseowes kennison(585) 245-5283
maritimebarbara warkentine
(718) 409-7370
new Paltzbeth wilson
(845) 257-3896
Polytechnic institutelinda weber
(315) 792-7323
SepTember/ocTober 2015 The Voice 21
22 The Voice SepTember/ocTober 2015
Union benefits
http://www.unionplus.org/autos-cars/car-buying-services
save on health care, dependent care costsLinCoLncontinued from page 6
ranging from an outbreak of an infec-tious disease to a natural disaster orviolence. Around his job, he remains amember of the municipal OneontaFire Department and has also workedin emergency management at the stateand county levels.
He grew up in a union household,where his father was a state conserva-tion officer. He remembers when hisfather and his colleagues prevailed ina long struggle for a fair new contract,and took from that experience a pro-found impression of the differencethat union solidarity can make to ahousehold.
Lincoln’s easygoing but articulateapproach to sensitive topics came tothe attention of Oneonta’s UUPChapter President Bill Simons a yearago, when Simons saw Lincoln serveon a panel discussion at the campuson preventing gun violence. Lin-coln’s skill at navigating this difficulttopic so seamlessly made Simonsthink he would be an asset to UUP.
“I saw somebody who really caresabout people, likes people and hasexcellent social skills,” Simonsrecalled. He and other chapter leadersapproached Lincoln, who had been aUUP member since 2008, but not anactivist. Within months, Lincoln hadbeen elected as a delegate and hadbeen appointed as the chapter’smembership director.
“He has tremendous social skills,”Simons said. “He believes that corre-spondence is fine, but it’s no substi-tute for face-to-face. He is very goodat networking and setting peopleat ease.”
Whatever the outcome of theFriedrichs case, Lincoln will still bebusy encouraging and retaining newchapter members. And he is alreadythinking of how to help train thenext generation of union activists.He believes they will be there, ingood numbers, and ready to learnand to lead.
Said Lincoln, “If you’re honest andsincere and passionate, then peopletend to listen to you.”
The open enrollment periodfor the New York State
Flex Spending Account
(FSA) programs—theHealth Care Spending Account and theDependent Care Advantage Account—for the 2016 plan year runs throughmidnight, Monday, Nov. 9.
The FSA can help members save ontheir eligible dependent care and med-ically necessary unreimbursed healthcare expenses.
The paperless enrollment processis quick and easy. Apply online atwww.flexspend.ny.gov or call (800)358-7202 (press 1). Be sure to haveyour most recent pay stub available;to apply, you will need your NYSEMPLID, Department ID and
Negotiating Unit code. For assistance with the enrollment
process, call Customer Service at (800)358-7202 (press 1). Representativesare available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.Monday through Friday, and untilmidnight Nov. 9.
SepTember/ocTober 2015 The Voice 23
Your UUP Benefit Trust Fundstaff would like to welcomeall of our new and returningmembers and their families.
The following is an overview of yourBTF benefits. I encourage you to readThe Voice throughout the year for updateson the many benefits available to you andyour eligible dependents.
Let’s start with the Benefit Trust Fund.Our toll-free number is (800) 887-3863;our fax number is (866) 559-0516. Youmay also reach us through the mail atUUP Benefit Trust Fund, 800 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, NY 12110.
UUP retiree members should callWalter Apple, retiree member servicescoordinator, at (800) 342-4206 with anyquestions.
BTF information can be accessed on theUUP website, www.uupinfo.org; click onBenefits for various options.
Our dental provider is Delta Dental.The toll-free number for UUP members is
(800) 471-7093; the website iswww.deltadentalins.com. Cleaning andexams are paid in full when eligiblemembers receive treatment from anin-network provider.
Also, during open enrollment, memberscan choose between a PPO or DHMOdental plans. The PPO plan allowsin-network or out-of-network services;the DHMO plan only covers in-networkservices with a co-payment.
Our vision provider is Davis Vision.The toll-free number is (800) 999-5431;the website is www.davisvision.com.Eligible members have an annual benefitfor eye exams, glasses or contacts.
It’s also important to make sure youhave a current beneficiary card on filewith the BTF for its life insurance policy.Your life insurance policy, throughUNUM, is $6,000 in coverage for activemembers and $1,000 for retiree members.There is no cost to the member.
UUP also offers retail discounts
through our Member Services TrustFund. Discounts are available for pro-grams and services such as AFLAC,AT&T, BJ’s Wholesale Club, EnterpriseRental Car, Goodyear, HP Academy,Liberty Mutual, OfficeMax, Sprint andVerizon Wireless.
We also offer our retiree members andpart-time employees a voluntarydental and vision program, with afford-able premium rates.
If you have any question or concerns regarding your benefits, contact the BTFat (800) 887-3863.
Doreen M. Bango, Manager,Member Benefits & Services
The prizes go to ...
Nine UUP members are the lucky
recipients of “goodie bags”
replete with union trinkets,
including UUP T-shirts and hats.
The recipients circled the correct
answers in the word search puzzle that
was published in the Summer 2015 issue
of The Voice.
Receiving goodie bags were: Barbara
Codrington, Stony Brook HSC; Mary
Cozier, Purchase; Anika Daniels-Osaze,
Downstate Medical Center; Monica Farrar,
Buffalo Center; Edward Kolodziej,
Fredonia; Amy Murphy, Empire State
College; Mary Perrone, Polytechnic
Institute; MaryAnn Schill, Farmingdale;
and Madonna Smart, Downstate.
bTf programs, services outlined
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 103
ALBANY, N.Y.
United University Professions
P.O. Box 15143
Albany, N.Y. 12212-5143
THE
Voice
aboVe, UUp SecreTarY eileen landY aSKS delegaTeS To SUpporT a
Special order in SYmpaThY wiTh The VicTimS oF UmpqUa commUniTY
college. iT paSSed UnanimoUSlY. leFT, STaTewide TreaSUrer rowena
blacKman-STroUd, leFT, diScUSSeS UUp FinanceS wiTh commiTTee
memberS, aS chair caroline baileY oF eSF liSTenS. more highlighTS
From The 2015 Fall da can be FoUnd in The Upcoming iSSUe oF
The echo, UUp’S online pUblicaTion, which can be acceSSed From
www.UUpinFo.org Under pUblicaTionS & mUlTimedia.
Coming inThe echo:2015 fall dAhighlights
Karen l. maTTiSon
michael liSi