Whereas, Governor Paterson’s Executive Budget proposal for FY 2010-2011 calls not only for another round of disproportionate cuts to CUNY—$84.4 million cut to CUNY’s 11 senior colleges and $285 cut per full-time-equivalent student to CUNY’s six community colleges—but also for “the most significant overhaul of New York’s public higher education system in a generation;” and

Whereas, this overhaul, the “Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act,” calls for the following approach to tuition and State support:

a so-called “rational tuition policy,” which would remove tuition rate changes from legislative oversight and place responsibility for tuition increases with the Boards of Trustees of CUNY and SUNY,

authorization of the Boards of Trustees to increase tuition annually up to a cap of two and one-half times the five-year average of the Higher Education Price Index [HEPI],

authorization of Board of Trustees to implement differential tuition rates by campus and by program, differentials that would not be subject to the HEPI cap; and

Whereas, by allowing CUNY to set its own tuition levels, free from legislative oversight and public accountability, making zero commitment to match any tuition increases with additional State dollars, and providing no guarantee that ever-escalating tuition would not be used to replace existing State support, the governor’s proposal essentially takes the public out of public higher education; and

Whereas, under this formula, CUNY could raise tuition up to ten percent this year, rather than the two percent requested, and could go on raising tuition by a similar amount every year; and

Whereas, tuition increases at this level, far from being “rational,” would place the University out of reach for those who cannot afford the constantly rising tuition, and would jeopardize a tradition of access to CUNY that spans three centuries and—

Whereas, differential tuition means differential access—poorer students could be shut out of certain majors, thereby exacerbating existing and persistent inequalities of race, gender and class; and

Whereas, differential tuition also poses a threat to a comprehensive liberal arts education and to student choice, as it may force students to decide on a program based solely on cost, as it could eliminate the opportunity for exploration of courses in multiple departments, and as it could make changing one’s major logistically untenable; and

Whereas, the proposal represents a new, more insidious phase of the slow-motion privatization of CUNY that has been occurring ever since free tuition was ended in 1975: the proposal would further shift the cost of college onto the backs of individual students and their families, making it a private rather than a publicly shared expense; and the decisions about the cost increases would be removed from public accountability and placed in the hands of a Board of Trustees that is unelected and not accountable to the public; and

Whereas, other aspects of the Act include further privatizing proposals, such as the provision—chiefly relevant to SUNY—that provides for the selling off of public land owned by the universities for private, for-profit enterprises; and

Whereas, the “Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act” fundamentally misunderstands the nature of public higher education: it is a public good, not a private commodity; its benefit is to the whole society, not just to the individual; therefore be it

Resolved, that while the PSC believes that some minor elements of the governor’s proposal—such as economies of purchasing—may be beneficial for the public universities, the Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act is, essentially—and dangerously—an attempt to privatize public higher education; and be it further

Resolved, that the PSC call on the New York State Legislature to reject the governor’s proposed budget cuts for CUNY, to support the PSC’s proposal to the Legislature to make a modest start this year on restoration of funds cut in the past two years, to reject the central, privatizing structure of the Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act, and to accept instead the PSC’s proposal to start now on a long-term strategy for rational investment by the State in its public university systems.

Delegate Assembly Resolutions
March 19, 2009

The PSC Opposes Layoffs of Adjuncts
And Other Reductions of Our Working Conditions
and Students’ Learning Conditions

Whereas, in this time of growing economic crisis, public higher education is more important than ever; enrollment at CUNY is soaring, and the Professional Staff Congress has mounted the largest legislative campaign in its history to fight back against budget cuts and secure a fair share of federal stimulus funding; and

Whereas, CUNY management assured faculty, staff and students that core academic programs would not suffer because of the State’s midyear budget cuts, and—thanks in part to the strength of the PSC’s advocacy throughout the year—a further 10 percent cut in State funding to community colleges was turned back; and

Whereas, the CUNY budget for the current semester, Spring 2009, should therefore not include any cuts in academic programs or services; and

Whereas, despite the steady-state funding this spring for academic programs, many CUNY campuses have implemented budget cuts that directly harm our members and undermine the quality of teaching and research at CUNY—above all, by laying off adjunct faculty; and

Whereas, Brooklyn College, John Jay College and other colleges have laid off long-serving adjuncts, claiming that the reason is budgetary; and

Whereas, other colleges—including York and Baruch—have announced reductions in travel money to support faculty research; some colleges—including CCNY, Kingsborough Community College, Borough of Manhattan Community College and Queens—have significantly increased class size; some colleges—including BMCC and Queensborough Community College—have reduced staffing of tutors in College Assistant titles; some colleges—including LaGuardia Community College—have jeopardized the quality of assistance students receive in registration because of a “pause” in hiring of higher education officers; and some colleges—including BMCC and Kingsborough—have placed new limitations, supposedly for budgetary reasons, on annual leave for college laboratory technicians; therefore be it

Resolved that “non-reappointments” of adjuncts for budgetary reasons are layoffs; and be it further

Resolved that the PSC opposes and will continue to work against such layoffs, using all available resources to prevent them, including through raising the issue with CUNY management both centrally and on the campuses, demanding documentation of the layoffs, and applying contractual and collective pressure as required; and be it further

Resolved that the PSC opposes and will seek to prevent all reductions in the working conditions of our members and the learning conditions of our students—especially reductions imposed this spring, while the 2009-10 budget is still unresolved; and be it further

Resolved that the PSC opposes and will seek to prevent “pre-emptive” budget cuts taken this spring by colleges, apparently in anticipation of budget cuts in FY 2009-10; and be it further

Resolved that as the PSC fights layoffs and the further degradation of our working conditions, the union will continue to fight with every resource at our command for State and City budgets that include full funding of CUNY, achieved through increased public money, not increased private tuition; such funding is well within reach for New York City and State, with a combination of federal stimulus funds and a restoration of a fair personal income tax system.

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Resolution In Support of PSC-CUNY Research Awards
Submitted by Barbara Bowen, President;
Steve London, First Vice President;
Arthurine DeSola, Secretary;
and Mike Fabricant, Treasurer

Whereas, for 36 years, the PSC-CUNY Research Awards program has issued thousands of research awards that have greatly contributed to the research activity of CUNY’s instructional staff at all levels; and

Whereas, the PSC membership has expressed overwhelming support for the PSC-CUNY Research Awards Program and its institutional processes for awarding grants; and

Whereas, the University Committee for Research Awards has made thousands of high quality peer-reviewed research grants; and

Whereas, PSC-CUNY Research Awards are a negotiated benefit; and

Whereas, Article 25.2(a) specifies “Eligibility” for PSC-CUNY Research Awards; and

Whereas, Article 25.2 (b) specifies the composition and authority of the University Committee on Research Awards (UCRA) and states in part, “The Chancellor shall appoint a faculty committee....Such committee shall be constituted as the University Committee on Research Awards, charged with the responsibility to make, in its discretion, research grants to individual instructional staff members of The City University of New York...;” and

Whereas, Article 25.2 (c) specifies that the (UCRA) “...shall be responsible for establishing guidelines for the application and approval of research awards...;” and

Whereas, Vice-Chancellor Gillian Small empanelled a Task Force to recommend changes in the PSC-CUNY Research Awards; and

Whereas, Vice-Chancellor Small circulated to the Task Force “working draft” proposals that would, if implemented, violate contractually protected faculty governance of the PSC-CUNY Research Award program and possibly other contractually protected rights; and

Whereas, the UFS Research Committee and the University Committee on Research Awards have issued a March 12, 2009 “Joint Resolution”: 1) affirming the contractual basis of the PSC-CUNY Research Grants, 2) rejecting the restructuring proposals embodied in the “working draft” report, and 3) demanding that the Task Force be disbanded and that suggested changes in the PSC-CUNY Research Awards be submitted to the University Committee on Research Awards; and

Whereas, the Task Force has not yet issued any recommendations, and CUNY management has not made any demands to change contractual language; therefore be it

Resolved, the PSC rejects the recommendations circulated in the “working draft” proposals; and be it further

Resolved, the PSC rejects this and any and all attempts to unilaterally change the contract; and be it further

Resolved, the PSC demands CUNY management to submit any recommended changes to the PSC-CUNY Research Awards to the University Committee on Research Awards for its consideration; and be it further

Resolved, the PSC will enforce the contractual rights of the University Committee on Research Awards; and be it further

Resolved, the PSC will enforce the contractually defined rights of the membership to PSC-CUNY Research Awards; and be it further

Resolved, the PSC stands for strengthening the PSC-CUNY Research Awards through an infusion of more funds.

Delegate Assembly Resolutions
September 25, 2008

Resolution to Support Striking BCTGM Local 50 workers at Stella D’Oro

Whereas, Stella D’Oro Biscuit Co. is a historic New York baked goods company, whose Bronx factory employs over 135 members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union Local 50; and

Whereas, when the union contract for the Stella D’Oro workers in BCTGW Local 50 expired this summer, the new owners, private equity company Brynwood Partners, demanded huge concessions, including eliminating holidays, vacation and sick pay, requiring large healthcare premiums, and reducing wages each year throughout the contact period; and

Whereas, on August 13, 2008, the members of BCTGM Local 50 went on strike in response to the unreasonable demands of Brynwood Partners and their refusal to engage in good faith bargaining; and

Whereas, Brynwood Partners and its managing partner Henk Hartong III, chairman of Stella D’Oro, are attempting to bust the union that has represented Stella D’Oro workers for more than forty years; and

Whereas, the PSC supports the right of all workers to organize and bargain collectively with their employers;

Resolved, that the PSC support, through organizing, publicity and monetary support, the strike of BCTGM Local 50 workers at Stella D’Oro; and

Resolved, that the PSC call for Stella D’Oro management to return to the table and bargain with BCTGM Local 50 in good faith; and

Resolved, that the PSC encourage its members and CUNY students to attend a rally that BCTGM Local 50 will soon be calling.

Delegate Assembly Resolutions
November 15, 2007

RESOLUTION ON MANAGEMENT SALARY INCREASES
WHILE FACULTY AND STAFF SALARIES REMAIN
UNCOMPETITIVE NATIONALLY

Whereas on September 24, 2007, five days after the expiration date of the PSC-CUNY contract had passed without an economic offer from CUNY management to the PSC, the CUNY Board of Trustees voted to award large salary increases to top management; and

Whereas the average salaries of CUNY faculty and staff are below nationally competitive levels, with some salary levels having lost up to 50% of their real-dollar value since the early 1970s, when many of the current generation of faculty were hired; and

Whereas Frederick Schaffer, senior vice chancellor for legal affairs, received an increase of $21,000, bringing his annual salary to $241,000, plus a bonus of $5,000—an increase of 11.8% for this year; and

Whereas Ernesto Malave, vice chancellor for budget and finance, received an increase of $21,671, bringing his annual salary to $212,000—an increase of 11.4% this year; and

Whereas Allan Dobrin, executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer, received an increase of $20,029, bringing his annual salary to $263,664, plus a bonus of $5,000; and

Whereas Iris Weinshall, new vice chancellor for facilities planning, received an increase of $20,000, bringing her annual salary to $210,000 for this year; and

Whereas Jay Hershenson, senior vice chancellor for university relations, received an increase of $11,000, bringing his annual salary to $281,000, plus a bonus of $5,000; and

Whereas Selma Botman, executive vice chair and university provost, received an increase of $13,166, bringing her annual salary to $276,501 for this year; and

Whereas Garrie Moore, vice chancellor for budget and finance, received an increase of $12,600, bringing his annual salary to $192,600, plus a bonus of $5,000; and

Whereas Gloriana Waters, interim vice chancellor for faculty and staff relations, received a bonus of $5,000 for this year; and

Whereas Eduardo Martí, president of Queensborough Community College, received an increase of $8,802, bringing his annual salary to $204,393, plus a bonus of $5,000 for this year; and

Whereas Marcia Keizs, president of York College, received an increase of $6,950, bringing her annual salary to $205,965, plus a bonus of $5,000 for this year; and

Whereas Jeremy Travis, president of John Jay College, received an increase of $10,356, bringing his annual salary to $218,104, plus a bonus of $5,000 for this year; and

Whereas Gail Mellow, president of LaGuardia Community College, received an increase of $10,350, bringing her annual salary to $200,350 for this year; and

Whereas Christoph Kimmich, president of Brooklyn College, received an increase of $10,080, bringing his annual salary to $234,050 for this year; and

Whereas Tomás Morales, president of College of Staten Island, received an increase of $10,000, bringing his annual salary to $230,000 for this year; and

Whereas Kathleen Waldron, president of Baruch College, received an increase of $10,735, bringing her annual salary to $249,285 for this year; and

Whereas Antonio Pérez, president of Borough of Manhattan Community College, received an increase of $9,004, bringing his annual salary to $204,500, plus a bonus of $5,000 for this year; and

Whereas Ricardo Fernández, president of Lehman College, received an increase of $9,405, bringing his annual salary to $218,405 for this year; and

Whereas Edison Jackson, president of Medgar Evers College, received an increase of $9,180, bringing his annual salary to $213,180 for this year; and

Whereas James L. Muyskens, president of Queens College, received an increase of $9,767, bringing his annual salary to $226,803 for this year; and

Whereas Gregory Williams, president of City College, received an increase of $8,753, bringing his annual salary to $258,836 for this year; and

Whereas William Kelly, president of the CUNY Graduate Center, received an increase of $8,743, bringing his annual salary to $227,320 for this year; and

Whereas Jennifer Raab, president of Hunter College, received an increase of $8,720, bringing her annual salary to $226,720 for this year; and

Whereas Dolores Fernández, president of Hostos Community College, received an increase of $8,025, bringing her annual salary to $193,325 for this year; and

Whereas Russell Hotzler, president of New York City College of Technology, received an increase of $8,220, bringing his annual salary to $213,712 for this year; and

Whereas Regina Peruggi, president of Kingsborough Community College, received an increase of $6,895, bringing her annual salary to $203,895 for this year; and

Whereas Carolyn G. Williams, president of Bronx Community College, received an increase of $6,828, bringing her annual salary to $201,922 for this year; and

Whereas the salary of Matthew Goldstein, chancellor, remains at $395,000, having increase by 63% since September 2003, most recently increasing by $45,000 last September, and whereas his total compensation—like the compensation of many of the other managers who received raises—includes free luxury housing or housing allowance and the use of a car and driver; therefore be it

Resolved that the PSC expects that CUNY management, with its professed concern for offering competitive salaries, will make an economic offer to the PSC that enables CUNY instructional staff salaries to become nationally competitive; and be it further

Resolved that the PSC calls on Chancellor Goldstein and the top managers who were awarded salary increases this September and last September to decline those increases until instructional staff salaries are restored to nationally competitive levels.

Delegate Assembly Resolutions
June 21, 2007

Resolution on BOYCOTT OF ISRAELI UNIVERSITIES

Passed

Whereas, on May 30, 2007, the University and College Union (UCU), which represents 120,000 college teachers in the United Kingdom, passed “Resolution 30: Boycott of Israeli academic institutions,” responding to a call from Palestinian trade unions to boycott all Israeli academic institutions and calling on the leadership of the UCU to “circulate the full text of the Palestinian boycott call to all branches . . . [and to] encourage members to consider the moral implications of existing and proposed links with Israeli academic institutions” as part of a resolution that “condemns the complicity of Israeli academia in the occupation”; and

Whereas, the national affiliates of the Professional Staff Congress/CUNY—the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP)—have both issued statements opposing the planned UCU boycott; and

Whereas, the question of a boycott of Israeli academic institutions is of such importance to our membership and to the larger public whom our members serve that the PSC should not remain silent on the issue, even when our national affiliates have spoken; and

Whereas, among PSC members there is a spectrum of deeply-held and sometimes conflicting positions on the issue of Israel’s expansion into the post-1967 territories and of the role of the United States in supporting Israel’s foreign policy; and

Whereas, the timing of the UCU resolution and the urgency of responding does not allow the PSC to engage in the kind of broad-based, CUNY-wide discussion such a complex issue deserves—the kind that preceded and enabled the Delegate Assembly vote in 2003 on the US expansion of war into Iraq; and

Whereas, the PSC categorically opposes anti-Semitism, as it opposes all forms of racial, religious, ethnic, gender and other oppression; and

Whereas, the PSC vigorously supports academic freedom and defends the free and open exchange of ideas among scholars—the lifeblood of academic work; and

Whereas, the PSC recognizes the essential role of communication and collaboration among scholars in fostering both knowledge and justice, especially where political differences exist; and

Whereas, although boycotts have been employed historically to create political change by both the labor movement and some of the most profound movements for freedom and civil rights, a boycott of academic institutions impinges on precisely the free exchange of ideas that is essential for economic and social justice; and

Whereas, given the PSC’s deep adherence to the principle of academic freedom and to the value of scholarly communication, the union cannot consider supporting or remaining neutral on the issue of an academic boycott in the absence of overwhelming evidence that such a position is the will of our membership; therefore be it

Resolved, that the Professional Staff Congress/CUNY call on the members of the UCU, who will have a year to consider the proposed boycott, to reject the proposal; and that the PSC communicate this position to our members and affiliates.

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions
December 21, 2006

Resolution on the Proposed CUNY Policy on Acceptable Use of Computer Resources

Passed Unanimously

Whereas CUNY has proposed a policy on computer use that will apply to the members of the PSC bargaining unit; and

Whereas the PSC met with CUNY management on two occasions to consult on the proposed policy; and

Whereas the PSC demanded the right to bargain over certain aspects of the proposed policy; and

Whereas CUNY refused to bargain with the PSC on those aspects of the proposed policy; and

Whereas the proposed policy imposes liability on bargaining unit members even if they are not at fault; and

Whereas the proposed policy is overbroad and invasive with respect to members’ privacy rights; and

Whereas the proposed policy is insufficient in protecting due process rights of members; and

Whereas the proposed policy is vague in protecting the PSC’s right to communicate with and have confidential communications with its members; and

Whereas the proposed policy violates the contractual rights guaranteed in Articles 18, 21 and 30; and

Whereas the proposed policy will undermine the freedom of expression and inquiry essential for academic freedom and CUNY’s academic mission;

Whereas the proposed policy does not include language asserting employee rights to use CUNY’s computer resources – especially important in the case of adjuncts;

Therefore Be It Resolved, that the PSC Delegate Assembly calls on the CUNY Board of Trustees to table this resolution until negotiations with the PSC on relevant parts of the proposed policy are completed, and further consultation with the PSC and other stakeholder groups in the CUNY community result in an acceptable computer use policy.

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions
November 30, 2006

Resolution Opposing the Adoption of the Proposed CUNY “Procedures for Handling Student Complaints about Faculty Conduct in Academic Settings”

Passed Unanimously

Whereas CUNY already has many policies and procedures allowing students to make formal complaints or appeals concerning specific issues; and

Whereas these already adopted policies and procedures specify the issue(s) about which students may make formal complaints or appeals (e.g. grade appeals, discrimination, disclosure of student records, academic integrity, sexual harassment, violent behavior); and

Whereas the proposed student complaint procedures do not refer to any specific faculty conduct, but speak only of “complaints about treatment of students;” and

Whereas there is no antecedent policy to which these proposed student complaint procedures are attached, including no definitions of what conduct might fall within and outside the scope of this set of procedures; and

Whereas these proposed student complaint procedures set no standards for judging which faculty conduct is to be addressed through these procedures; and

Whereas the proposed student complaint procedures apply to “academic settings,” a term that is not defined and subject to interpretation;and

Whereas the proposed student complaint procedures will require a multi-level investigative and appeal process; and

Whereas the proposed student complaint procedures will require department chairs (as the “Fact Finder”) to conduct an investigation if a dispute persists, which shall include “interview[ing] the complaining student, the faculty member and other persons with relevant knowledge and information and shall also consult with the chief student affairs officer…” and issuing “a written report setting forth his or her findings and recommendations…;” and

Whereas the proposed student complaint procedures set forth no standards or guidelines upon which to base “findings” and “recommendations;” and

Whereas the proposed student complaint procedures set forth an “appeals procedure” and contemplates “subsequent action,” again without appropriate standards or specific guidelines as to what constitutes inappropriate conduct; and

Whereas all of these investigations, appeals processes and the possible issuance of several written reports are all to occur without any guarantee of confidentiality; and

Whereas CUNY has not demonstrated a need for implementing such a set of student complaint procedures; and

Whereas CUNY students already have access to policies and procedures to bring complaints against inappropriate faculty conduct; and

Whereas the PSC is always willing to work with students to address legitimate issues concerning inappropriate faculty conduct; and

Whereas these student complaint procedures themselves will become an invitation to politicize the classroom and intimidate faculty and students; and

Whereas these student complaint procedures will themselves become a catalyst for conflict and threaten academic freedom in the classroom by fraying trust between students and teachers and creating a climate of intimidation; and

Whereas it is in the best interests of the students, faculty and the academic enterprise to uphold and protect academic freedom in the classroom; now therefore

Be it resolved, the PSC Delegate Assembly calls on the CUNY Board of Trustees and the Chancellory to withdraw from consideration the proposed “Procedures for Handling Student Complaints about Faculty Conduct in Academic Settings.”

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions
October 26, 2006

Resolution on Fiterman Hall

Whereas Fiterman Hall is heavily contaminated with dioxin, lead, asbestos and WTC toxic substances, and is be taken down, and

Whereas Fiterman Hall is located in a densely populated neighborhood with schools, workplaces and residences, and

Whereas CUNY and DASNY’s plans for decontamination and deconstruction of Fiterman are matters of serious public concern, and

Whereas CUNY has not been forthcoming with information about the decontamination and deconstruction process to date, and the public has a right to this information, and

Whereas Community Board #1 of lower Manhattan has passed a resolution calling on CUNY and Dormitory Authority of the State of NY (DASNY) for “a full and transparent public process that includes posting all current and historical sampling results and demolition plans...”

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

The PSC demand that CUNY be held accountable for:

A proactive, open, and ongoing, participatory process with the public (including faculty, staff, students, neighbors, and workers), including:
- monthly meetings with members of the public
- timetables of decontamination events with prior notice of actions
- data related to materials found at the site
- information about contractors and subcontractors and numbers to call about problems
Safe demolition practices, with protections for workers on site, faculty, staff, students and residents,
Working actively with EPA and New York City agencies on the oversight of the decontamination and deconstruction process.

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions
December 15, 2005

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF TWU LOCAL 100

      Whereas the members of TWU Local 100 move the people whose labor makes New York a viable and productive city, and

      Whereas the TWU is engaged in difficult contract negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and has been offered woefully inadequate terms and conditions of employment; and

      Whereas the issues in these negotiations-wages, working conditions, benefits, the tiering of the workforce, and the rights of retirees-are fundamentally the same as the issues confronting the PSC in its contract negotiations with CUNY; and

      Whereas the outcome of the TWU/MTA negotiations will have an impact on labor negotiations in the city as whole, including the PSC’s current negotiations with CUNY, The City and the State; and

      Whereas The MTA and the City have threatened the TWU and its individual members with draconian penalties using court injunctions and the NYS Taylor Law if the union upholds the principle of “no contract, no work”; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the PSC express its solidarity with TWU Local 100; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the PSC urge its members to participate in any and all support actions including, but not limited to, attendance at union rallies, participation in TWU worksite picket lines, distribution of support literature, and monetary contributions to TWU strike funds should such contributions prove necessary; and be it further

RESOLVED, that this resolution be circulated to the TWU for its information, and to the NYC Central Labor Council, NYSUT, and the AFT for similar action.

Passed by the Delegate Assembly of the Professional Staff Congress, Dec. 15, 2005

Resolution in Support of NYU Strikers

      Whereas graduate teaching assistants at NYU voted overwhelmingly to be represented by UAW Local 2110, were recognized by the University, and successfully negotiated a first contract in 2002; and

      Whereas Following the NLRB’s ruling in the Brown University case that graduate assistants are essentially students and not employees, NYU President John Sexton unilaterally and arbitrarily withdrew recognition and refused to bargain a second contract upon expiration of the first contract in August 2005; and

      Whereas NYU graduate assistants have been on strike for five weeks seeking a renewal of recognition and the right to collective bargaining; and

      Whereas in retaliation and in contravention of established labor law, President Sexton has threatened to withdraw stipends of all those remaining on strike; and

      Whereas this strike represents the cutting edge of labor solidarity in the face of academic corporatization; and

      Whereas a large number of NYU faculty and faculty from a wide variety of other academic institutions and associations have expressed support of graduate employees’ right to union representation; and

      Whereas the PSC has a long-standing history of commitment to the principles of the right to organize, the right to collective bargaining and the right of graduate employees to union representation; and

      Whereas the PSC has committed itself to this struggle and continues to actively and publicly support graduate student workers at NYU and elsewhere; therefore be it

Resolved, that the PSC urge its members, both full and part-time classroom instructors and non-teaching personnel, to pledge to refuse any new or additional employment at NYU for the duration of the strike; and be it further

Resolved, that the PSC circulate this resolution for individuals to sign; and be it further

Resolved, that signed pledges be forwarded to the appropriate departments at NYU; and be it further

Resolved, that this resolution be forwarded to NYSUT and the AFT to be circulated to other higher education locals for similar action.

Passed by the Delegate Assembly of the Professional Staff Congress, Dec. 15, 2005

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions
May 26, 2005

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING A REFERENDUM ON JOB ACTION

Whereas the Professional Staff Congress contract expired more than two-and-a-half years ago, and CUNY faculty and professional staff have not had a raise for four years; and

Whereas the membership and the leadership of the Professional Staff Congress have tried in countless ways to reach a fair settlement: collective bargaining, direct advocacy with the City and State, organized protest and demonstration, informational picketing, leafleting, television advertisements, political advocacy with elected officials, support by national and state affiliates, informational campaigns in the workplace, and campaigns to generate calls, e-mail and fax communication with the employer; and

Whereas after more than two years of bargaining and member action, the City University of New York has failed to offer an acceptable contract: one that provides real raises, a lasting solution to the Welfare Fund crisis, and other essential gains in equity and due process; and

Whereas the failure of CUNY management to agree to a fair contract ultimately displays contempt for CUNY students: no amount of publicity about CUNY’s recent “renaissance” can make up for uncompetitive salaries, shrinking benefits and substandard working conditions—the education of our students is jeopardized if the University fails to support the academic staff on whose work it depends; and

Whereas the PSC won its first contract, in 1973, only after taking a referendum on a strike, and the United Federation of Teachers won its 2002 contract after voting to authorize a future referendum on a strike; therefore be it

Resolved, that the Professional Staff Congress will make every effort to reach a fair contract settlement without a job action; and be it further

Resolved, that the Professional Staff Congress will continue to work throughout the summer to achieve a fair settlement – participating in good faith in collective bargaining, exploring options for mediation and arbitration, organizing protests by members, conducting a public relations campaign, working toward coalitions with other unions, strengthening member-to-member organizing; and be it further

Resolved, that if the City University of New York fails to agree to a fair contract with the PSC by September 1, 2005, the Executive Council of the PSC will have the authority to determine whether and when to conduct a referendum, either by campus or union-wide, on the question of whether the PSC Executive Council should authorize a job action; and further be it

Resolved, that the PSC Executive Council will not authorize a job action unless the majority of votes cast in the referendum, conducted by secret ballot by the American Arbitration Association or similar neutral organization, are in favor.

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions
March 31, 2005

UNION DEFENSE FUND

The following proposal was passed by the PSC Delegate Assembly on March 31.

The Executive Council proposes that the PSC create a Union Defense Fund, through voluntary contributions, in order to increase the union’s capacity to wage a public, militant campaign for a fair contract.

Throughout the semester, union strength has been growing, as members across the University have become active in the fight for a fair contract. We have seen that our pressure works, but we will need to be prepared to press even harder to break through management’s austerity framework. Being able to draw on a Union Defense Fund will enable us to intensify our campaign and defend the union as we prepare for more militant actions.

A key element of the Union Defense Fund is that it will be built through voluntary contributions: building the Fund will itself be an act of solidarity, an intensification of our one-on-one organizing. This is a proposal for more than a fund; it’s a proposal for a campaign. Its aim is in part to change the conversation in the union, as members are asked, one by one, to recognize the seriousness of our fight and make a commitment of support.

Union defense funds have historically been a fundamental institution of the trade union movement. Voluntary or mandatory, long-term or short-term, collective funds for the defense of the union and its members have been an essential tool of organizing and building union strength. In 1973, as part of the PSC’s hard-fought campaign to win a first contract, the union began a Union Defense Fund in order to be prepared in the event of a strike. Although the union membership voted to authorize the leadership to call a strike, the contract was won without striking, and the union continued to make regular contributions to the Defense Fund out of its operating budget. In the 1990s, the union leadership discontinued contributions, and the accrued amount became part of the PSC’s reserve.

Now we face a state of emergency in negotiations that is arguably as difficult as the situation faced by the PSC in 1973. In order to build the union’s capacity for a new level of action—a level commensurate with the contract crisis we face—the Executive Council calls for the creation of a new Union Defense Fund, this time through voluntary contributions. The proposal is for a Union Defense Fund established according to the following guidelines:

All contributions would be voluntary; members and fee-payers would be asked, through the Clarion and a direct mailing, to elect to deduct a fixed amount from each paycheck and contribute this amount to the Union Defense Fund account in the PSC/CUNY Credit Union.
The Union Defense Fund would be a fund segregated from other PSC funds, such as operating expenses and reserves, and would be governed by rules established by the PSC Executive Council in consultation with legal counsel and our local and national affiliates.
The direct mailing and other forms of outreach for the Defense Fund would offer members suggested levels of contribution; e.g., $2 from each paycheck, $5, $10 or $25. Contributions could also be made directly, by writing a check to the PSC Union Defense Fund. The different levels of suggested contribution would lead up to the highest, one day’s pay (with instructions on how to calculate one day for yourself). The Defense Fund would be used to expand the union’s capacity to wage a public, militant campaign for a fair contract. For instance, if the union needs to intensify its television advertising campaign beyond the financial limits of our existing budget for such campaigns, the Executive Council might vote to approve allocating money from the Defense Fund to increased television advertising. If the union were forced to consider a job action, the Executive Council might vote to allocate money from the Defense Fund to cover job action expenses. All allocations would be voted on by the Executive Council and would be reported to the membership.
In the event the money raised for the Defense Fund this spring is not spent, or the contract is settled without full expenditure of the Fund, member contributions would not be refunded; rather, they would become part of a lasting Defense Fund for the union.
Members would be encouraged to continue contributing to the Union Defense Fund after the settlement of the contract, as a regular part of their union practice. The Union Defense Fund would build the union’s capacity in more than financial ways. One of its major purposes would be to intensify the one-on-one organizing campaign in which we are now engaged.
If the DA approves the Fund, the union’s leadership and organizing staff will set a target date, for instance May 2—the first day back from spring break—and a target number of contributors. Activists will be asked to urge their “My Five” people to participate in the Fund; each chapter will set a target for its number of Fund participants by that date. Contract campaign events in April and May will be oriented toward increasing participation in the Fund.
The Union Defense Fund would be part of the PSC’s long-term plan to become an activist union, to build our political capacity and develop strength for campaigns beyond this contract.

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions
January 27, 2005

A STATE OF EMERGENCY IN
CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS

Whereas the collective bargaining agreement between the Professional Staff Congress and the City University of New York expired on October 31, 2002, and CUNY faculty and staff have not had raises since August 1, 2001; and

Whereas during the same period that PSC members were without a raise and experienced a reduction in the real value of their salaries, CUNY’s top management accepted raises with a total cost to the University of $2.1 million a year; and

Whereas the Chancellor’s Office has launched an expensive fund-raising campaign whose motto is “Investing in Futures” while failing to invest in the people who create the real future of the University—the faculty and staff; and

Whereas the financial offer on the table from University management, currently 1.5% over four years with a small one-time bonus of $400 (pro-rated for part-timers) both insults people who routinely work their hearts out for CUNY and forecasts a deeply inadequate final offer; and

Whereas in order to offer quality education, build a strong University and sustain our own lives in the profession, the PSC needs more than a minimal contract: that is, we need a contract that offers increased Welfare Fund contributions and money for equity advances as well as salary increases above the level of inflation; and

Whereas PSC members have endured painful reductions in Welfare Fund benefits over the past two years, including a shift of approximately one-third of the cost of prescription drugs and a significant portion of dental care costs from the employer to the employee; yet escalating healthcare costs mean that without a substantial increase in employer contributions the Welfare Fund reserve will be depleted in less than a year; and

Whereas the PSC has made a fair, reasonable financial proposal: the settlement achieved by the SUNY faculty and staff (approximately 15% in salary and other improvements over four years) plus the added money required to stabilize and enhance our Welfare Fund; and

Whereas the University management offer of 1.5% (with a $400 lump sum and a further 1% available if we pay for it by increased “productivity”) covers none of these needs; and

Whereas a refusal to invest in CUNY’s faculty and staff would be ultimately a refusal to invest in CUNY’s students, because our working conditions are their learning conditions; and

Whereas the failure to resolve the PSC contract has a direct impact on students, who have also been repeatedly battered by tuition increases and the systematic withdrawal of public funding from CUNY; the PSC’s agenda of creating competitive salaries, benefits and working conditions at CUNY is directed toward strengthening the University and enhancing the education, research and service in which it engages; and

Whereas the PSC has tried every other tactic to press for the settlement we need: we have engaged in serious collective bargaining; we have worked to narrow our areas of difference with management; we have collected thousands of signatures on petitions to the Chancellor and college presidents; we have appealed directly to the Board of Trustees—presenting them with letters at every meeting since May 2004, organizing a member presence at every meeting since May and requesting meetings between each individual Trustee and the PSC president; we have sent hundreds of faxes to the Chancellor about our contract needs; we have met with college presidents, picketed on campus, received the support of students, met with the City and State, met with the CUNY Chancellor and shown the support of the entire membership for the position that a minimal contract is not acceptable; and

Whereas despite the Chancellor’s public statement in May 2004 that he did not intend to offer the PSC an austerity contract, the management of the University has failed to respond to these powerful and unprecedented expressions of our need—and the University’s need; and

Whereas a contract at the level suggested by management’s 1.5% offer has already begun to result in an inability to recruit and retain high-quality faculty and staff, with several departments reporting their difficulty in attracting the candidates they seek when candidates learn of the teaching load, salaries and working conditions at CUNY; and

Whereas CUNY management’s failure to offer an adequate economic framework for the settlement is coupled with demands that represent a direct attack on faculty autonomy, availability of research time, job security and the ability of the union to represent its members and enforce the contract; and

Whereas the 20,000 faculty and staff represented by the PSC have given their professional lives to CUNY, enduring substandard salaries and working conditions, making do with inadequate research time and resources, existing in a permanent culture of scarcity—out of commitment to a vision of what a public urban university could be, out of dedication to our students and out of understanding of the value of intellectual work; therefore be it

Resolved, that the PSC declare a state of emergency in the contract negotiations and that we call on every member of the faculty and staff to become a part of the mass effort that will be required, given the current political climate, to win the contract we need; that we rededicate the union to old-fashioned, one-on-one organizing so that every member is informed and engaged, so that every member becomes part of the campus and worksite campaigns that will direct our political force toward a good contract; and be it further

Resolved, that the chapters of the PSC prepare the membership for decisions at the Delegate Assemblies this spring on the increasingly militant actions that may be required to win a contract that meets our needs—by engaging in broad-based discussion of the full range of actions in which unions historically have engaged and their relevance to our current campaign: leafleting, letter-writing, protests, demonstrations, lobbying, media campaigns, coalition-building with students and other groups, direct action, special assessment of members for union defense funds, and job actions up to and including strikes.

Adopted unanimously, January 27, 2005

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions
December 16, 2004

Click here for a PDF document with the following resolutions passed by the D.A. for submission to the 2005 New York State Teachers Representative Assembly.

►Reaffirmation of Democratic Access to College

►Reaffirmation of Restoring Access to the City University of New York

►Reaffirmation of the Resolutions on Air Quality in Our Schools

►Reaffirmation of the Resolution on Healthy Schools

►Reaffirmation of the Resolution on Ergonomics

►Reaffirmation of Resolution on State and Federal Legislation of Healthcare Staffing

►Reaffirmation of the Resolution on Protection from Genetic Discrimination

►Reaffirmation of the Resolution on Preserving Public Education

►Reaffirmation of the Resolution on Workers’ Compensation

►Reaffirmation of the Resolution on Sales Tax of Laboratory Tests

►Reaffirmation of the Resolution on New York State Funding for Higher Education

►Resolution on Tenure

►Resolution in Support of the Safety and Freedom Ensured Act (SAFE Act)

►Resolution on the Academic Bill of Rights (Student Bill of Rights)

►Resolution on Pharmaceutical Companies

►Resolution on Coca-Cola

►Resolution to Stop War Crimes and Ethnic Cleansing In Darfur

►Resolution to Protect Workers from Harassment and Abuse, Creating a Hostile Work Environment
►Resolution to Support Health Insurance And Universal Healthcare
►Resolution in Opposition to the College Access and Opportunity Act, H. R. 4283 Resolution for Paid Family Leave
►Resolution on the Ethics Law
►Resolution in Opposition to Embargoed Materials
►Resolution for NYSUT to Widely Publicize Its Commitment To Establish Equity For Adjunct Faculty/Staff, Including but not Limited To Its Higher Education Omnibus Model Legislation
►Resolution on Academic Freedom at John Jay College/CUNY
►Resolution in Support of General Education Diploma (GED) Programs
►Resolution to Reduce Localities’ Medicaid and Education Expenses
►Resolution to Oppose Punitive Credit Card Interest and Fee Schedules
►Resolution to Refund Child Tax Credit
►Resolution on Tax Fairness and Adequate Resources

►Resolution on Capping Medicare Part B and P
►Resolution on Supplying the Flu Vaccine
►Resolution on the Inclusion of Retiree Concerns in the Negotiation Process

►Resolution on Long-Term Care Insurance

►Resolution on Medicare Aid for Home Care

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions
October 28, 2004

Resolution for Gene Plunkett, Former Chapter Chairperson
of the Manhattan Educational Opportunity Center (MEOC)

Whereas Gene Plunkett was a Counselor of the students of the Manhattan EOC, a colleague and friend of the members of the Chapter at the Manhattan EOC; and

Whereas Gene Plunkett joined the City University of New York staff on July 16, 1968 and worked at Lehman College prior to going to the MEOC; and

Whereas Gene Plunkett joined the Professional Staff Congress on March 3, 1978, was an active member and Chairperson of the PSC Chapter of the Manhattan EOC; and

Whereas Gene Plunkett was devoted to the education of the students who enrolled at the Manhattan EOC; and

Whereas during the course of his tenure at the MEOC, Gene Plunkett worked for the survival of the EOC and fought for equity for EOC employees with CUNY employees; therefore be it

Resolved, that the Delegate Assembly of the Professional Staff Congress/CUNY express condolences to Gene Plunkett’s family and colleagues and recognize his long years of service to the University, the community, and the union.

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions
September 30, 2004

Resolution to Support the Colombia Teachers' Strike October 12th

Whereas the PSC has already adopted Resolutions, and brought them to the NYSUT and AFT conventions, in solidarity with the struggle against death squad assassinations of teachers and other unionists in Colombia; and the Colombia national teacher strike is an occasion for us to move beyond Resolutions and offer practical strike support;

And Whereas as we know, Colombia is the most dangerous place in the world to be a unionist: three-quarters of all murders of trade unionists occur in Colombia, and already this year alone 23 teachers, 60% of them women, have been killed by right-wing paramilitaries;

And Whereas according to Amnesty International, “Colombia is the third largest recipient of US military aid in the world. Despite compelling evidence that the Colombian military are violating human rights, either directly or in collusion with paramilitary groups, the US government has agreed to allow its military assistance to be used for counter-insurgency activities, with one clear and tragic result - a greater targeting of the civilian population” ( The Wire, 4/23/04);

And Whereas FECODE, the Federación Colombiana de Educadores (Colombian Teachers Union), is launching on October 12 an indefinite national strike against the death squads and the Uribe government, which allows these killings to go on with impunity; and CUT, the federation of all Colombian unions, is also calling a one-day general strike against the government on October 12; and FECODE has asked US teachers and students to support the strike and oppose the US military aid that is killing them;

And Whereas the strike is endorsed by the AFT (American Federation of Teachers), the NEA (National Education Association), and EI (Education International), and Latin American and European unions are joining in support;

And Whereas other demands of the strike are for health care, pensions, and retirement benefits, all threatened with deep cuts by government legislation, and for an end to the freeze on salaries and promotions;

And Whereas by supporting their strike locally, we join forces against a common enemy, those who would destroy public education, through more privatization, punitive union contracts, tuition hikes, budget cuts, over-use of standardized tests, and the infiltration of corporations and the military into education;

Resolved: That the PSC endorse the Colombian national teachers’ strike October 12, and will, through the International and Solidarity Committees, conduct strike support in the form of a rally at the Colombian Consulate on October 12; a letter-writing campaign, through the PSC website, to the Uribe government and the US Congress; and do targeted leafleting and petitioning on CUNY campuses.

Resolution For Dialog on Adjunct Workload Restrictions

Whereas many adjunct faculty and staff depend, for their main source of income, on the compensation they receive for work at CUNY, and

Whereas the PSC-CUNY contract allows adjunct faculty to teach no more than 9 contact hours at one CUNY unit, and one course of up to 6 hours at another CUNY unit in any semester, a rule which dates back to the previous PSC administration, and

Whereas the 9/6 rule appears to allow 15 hours per term, but in practice very few adjuncts have schedules of over 12 contact hours per semester, and

Whereas adjuncts who work maximum available schedules, with wages of $20,000 to $26,000 per academic year, experience the 9/6 provision as an immediate barrier to their ability to earn a living wage from CUNY work, and

Whereas full-time Community College faculty are allowed overload, or multiple appointments to 15 hours per term, which raise their full-time workload and income, and

Whereas the 9/6 provision imposes work rules that can act against the best interests of adjuncts and their students, by limiting the freedom of adjuncts to opt for the work opportunities which best fit their capabilities, interests, and needs, and best enable them to be effective educators, and

Whereas the achievement of parity for adjuncts in income and professional working conditions is the contractual goal of the PSC, and

Whereas injury to one group is injury to all in a fully committed union of workers, and

Whereas improvement of the 9/6 rule has long been deferred, a more sensitive and sensible adjunct workload policy could make a favorable difference in how adjuncts view the union, and

Whereas the recent NYU contract compensates adjuncts at about $90 per hour, which is over 60% above the starting CUNY adjunct rate, and is without workload restrictions, and

Whereas the PSC ethos encourages constructive dialog and debate in seeking democratic, participatory and active unionism, but CLARION has yet to have full discussion on this important issue, and

Whereas the May 2004 Delegate Assembly meeting ended with assurance of further discussion at this meeting on the 9/6 matter, now therefore

Resolved, that the PSC undertake a discussion on solidarity across the ranks during Campus Equity Week and the formation of a working group to start discussing adjunct workload (9/6 policy), but in privacy.

Resolution on Closing G.E.D. Sites

Whereas the September 30, 2004 New York Times reports that the NYC Department of Education has, without adequate notice, closed dozens of G.E.D. preparation sites, “bewildering staff members and creating a chaotic situation for young people already at risk for abandoning their studies;” and Whereas PSC/CUNY recognizes that teachers in the NYC public high schools play a vital role in educating the young people of New York City; nevertheless, for some, G.E.D. programs become an alternative route to the high school diploma; and

Whereas the PSC/CUNY strongly supports G.E.D. programs as essential avenues to higher education and adequate employment for many students; therefore be it

Resolved, that the PSC/CUNY express its forceful opposition to this fall’s closing of the G.E.D. preparation sites and urge the CUNY Chancellor and the Board of Trustees to join the PSC/CUNY in advocating their reestablishment.

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions
June 17, 2004

Resolution Endorsing Demonstrations at the Republican National Convention

Whereas the policies and agenda of the Bush Administration and the far-right Republican Party have been disastrous for the working people of the United States and the population of the world; and

Whereas those policies will be reaffirmed and Bush nominated to run for a second term of office at the Republican National Convention to be held in New York City at the end of August, 2004; and

Whereas United for Peace and Justice, a nationwide anti-war coalition with more than 800 member groups, has called for a demonstration on August 29^th to oppose the Republican agenda, under the slogan “The World Says No to the Bush Agenda”; and,

Whereas the New York City Central Labor Council is planning a rally on September 1^st near the Republican National Convention to protest the Republican and Bush agendas; and,

Whereas the Central Labor Council has gotten a permit from the city to hold their September 1^st rally on Eighth Avenue and 30^th Street, one block from the site of the Republican Convention, while the city is still balking at giving United for Peace and Justice a permit to protest peacefully within sight of the Convention site; therefore, be it

Resolved, that the Professional Staff Congress endorse both the August 29^th and September 1^st demonstrations against the Bush agenda and urge its members to mobilize for and participate in the protests against the Republican agenda and the Bush re-election campaign; and be it further

Resolved, that the Professional Staff Congress urge the New York City administration to act quickly to grant United for Peace and Justice a venue for their August 29^th protest within sight of the Madison Square Garden Republican convention site.

Resolution to Endorse John Kerry

Whereas the AFT reserves the right to make endorsements in U.S. presidential elections and its Executive Council passed a Resolution to be presented to the 2004 convention that uncritically endorses John Kerry for president, and has devoted substantial material and political resources to the election of Kerry; and

Whereas John Kerry's presidential election campaign has taken positions at odds with the stated positions of the PSC on such issues as Iraq, labor policy, NAFTA, and educational policy; therefore be it

Resolved, that the PSC critically accept the AFT's endorsement of John Kerry for president of the U.S.; and be it further

Resolved, that the PSC urge the AFT to apply and maintain pressure on John Kerry to come out strongly against the continued U.S. war in and occupation of Iraq, and, if elected, to reverse the Bush Administration policy in Iraq as well as the general strategy of empire-building backed up by 'pre-emptive war; reject educational policies that involve 'merit pay'; reverse his positions on 'free trade', particularly NAFTA; express broader support for well-funded quality public education; and be it further

Resolved, that the PSC reaffirm its commitment to building labor participation in an independent anti-war movement and to maintain pressure on any presidential candidate or president to shift his position on this and other key issues.

Resolution on the Presidential Campaign

Whereas George W. Bush's presidency has been devastating to the interests of labor, education, the environment, and, generally, to the well-being of our nation, other nations, and the peoples of the world, and his 're-election' would mean a continuation of the same brutal, anti-labor regime;

Resolved, that the PSC create a mechanism to enable members who want to participate in the Kerry campaign to do so.

Resolution in Opposition to Student Test Scores in Faculty Evaluation Files

Whereas the President of LaGuardia Community College has informed the LaGuardia PSC that she requires ACT pass rate scores to be included in faculty personnel files for evaluation of “teaching effectiveness;” and

Whereas the President has insisted that it is her right to require “multiple quantitative measures of teaching effectiveness;” and

Whereas using the ACT test as an exit exam is not considered a valid measure of student performance or improvement; and

Whereas ACT test student pass rates vary widely and do not reflect teaching effectiveness of faculty; and

Whereas including such scores in evaluating “teaching effectiveness” encourages the practice of ‘teaching to the test’ rather than the well-rounded and carefully designed curriculum of a department and its faculty members; and

Whereas students are ill served by courses that are oriented toward tests instead of providing them with a wide range of college level skills; and

Whereas curriculum design and development is the professional responsibility of faculty, not outside test agencies or CUNY administration; and

Whereas faculty evaluation of teaching effectiveness is a matter faculty have traditionally taken seriously through peer observations, professional development seminars, student evaluations and annual evaluations; and

Whereas the PSC contract specifies that faculty be evaluated on the basis of material in their personnel file where the contents and evaluation instruments have been negotiated through past practice and College governance; therefore be it

Resolved, that the PSC Delegate Assembly support the LaGuardia chapter in this Resolution and forward a copy of it to Chancellor Goldstein; and be it further

Resolved, that student test scores, student grades, student averages, and retention rates, in whatever form or format, not be included in Faculty Personnel files at any CUNY campus; and be it further

Resolved, that Union representatives and governance representatives be consulted and negotiations take place to insure that the contents of files include only documents approved through College governance and union negotiation; and be it further

Resolved, that any such scores or student results be removed from any and all faculty files on any campus where they have been included.

Resolution for PSC Racial Diversity Advocate

Whereas according to the Fall 2002 CUNY Affirmative Action Report, the professional staff are 51.9% White [including Italians], 26.8% Black, 13.9% Hispanic, and 7.1% Asian; and

Whereas according to the Fall 2002 CUNY Affirmative Action Report, the faculty are 73.4% White, 12.2% Black, 6.8% Hispanic, and 7.3% Asian; and

Whereas CUNY reported the Fall 2002 CUNY student population as 33.2% White, 29.5% Black, 23.5% Hispanic, and 13.6% Asian; and

Whereas the 2000 Census Report listed the New York City population as 27% Hispanic, 24% Black, 10% Asian and 35 % White; and

Whereas in proportion to their numbers in the general population, Blacks, Hispanics and Asians are highly underrepresented in the ranks of the instructional staff at CUNY, and Whites are over-represented; and

Whereas the University’s goals to provide employment discrimination complaint procedures as stated in the 1999 manual, Employment Discrimination Complaint Procedures, to hear discrimination complaints and to report annually its compliance with affirmative action requirements [Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity (AA/EEOC) Officers] have not resulted in a CUNY workforce that reflects the diverse population of the City; and

Whereas many campuses and departments have an unsatisfactory record of hiring, retaining, and promoting faculty and staff of color; and

Whereas CUNY’s performance is in contradistinction to SED Law 6201 section 3 that states “. . . the university will continue to maintain and expand its commitment to academic excellence and to the provision of equal access and opportunity for students, faculty and staff from all ethnic and racial groups and from both sexes.” Section 5 of the same law that states, “Only the strongest commitment to the special needs of an urban constituency justifies the legislature’s support of an independent and unique structure for the university. Activities at the city university campuses must be undertaken in a spirit which recognizes and responds to the imperative need for affirmative action and the positive desire to have city university personnel reflect the diverse communities which comprise the people of the city and state of New York;” therefore be it

Resolved, that each PSC chapter executive committee appoint a Racial Diversity Advocate. The responsibility of the Advocate will be to work with the chapter to organize around issues of racism, to advocate for and monitor the hiring, promoting, retaining and reclassifying of the instructional staff of color, and to report information to the central union so that it may act to move the University toward a more diverse faculty and staff; and be it further

Resolved, that the union develop guidelines to assist the chapter executive committee and the chapter Racial Diversity Advocate to carry out these objectives; and be it further

Resolved, that the PSC Constitution will be reviewed so that establishment of this chapter position complies with it.

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions
February 26, 2004

Resolution In Response to Chancellor's Proposal to Extend Tenure Clock

Whereas tenure was established to protect academic freedom and derives from the recognition that such freedom is essential to the mission of universities; and

Whereas the 1940 legislation establishing tenure at CUNY (Section 6212.3 of the New York State Education Law) is one of the landmarks in the history of tenure in this country, having been won through mass action and political advocacy by students and faculty, including the Legislative Conference, one of the precursors to the PSC; and

Whereas the Chancellor’s Office has announced its intention to introduce legislation to lengthen the untenured period from five to seven years; and

Whereas the Chancellor’s Office has gone directly to the State Legislature without consultation with those who would be affected—faculty and staff of the colleges—and without negotiation with the PSC about the impact of such a change on the terms and conditions of employment; and

Whereas the introduction of the tenure question at this moment of a conservative political climate gives opponents of faculty rights and academic freedom an opportunity to make an assault on the open public university; and

Whereas there is no indication that CUNY’s rate of successful tenure is lower than the national norm, approximately 85 - 90%, a rate that testifies to the way peer support and guidance, typical at CUNY, has enabled the majority of tenure candidates to meet the requirements of teaching, scholarship, and service; and

Whereas the legislation proposed by the Chancellor’s Office is an opening for the opponents in the legislature to attack job security for faculty, as has occurred across the country, where only 35% of all college faculty currently serve in tenure or tenure-track positions; and

Whereas CUNY’s five-year tenure clock is appropriate for an institution that uniquely encompasses two-year and four-year colleges; and

Whereas the proposal to extend the untenured period emanates, in part, from the state’s unwillingness to fund CUNY and the concession and resignation of the CUNY administration to this circumstance; and

Whereas loss of state support has resulted in too little funding to support faculty research, scholarship and creative work; and too little funding for provisions such as start-up packages for scientific laboratories, adequate parental leave and childcare; and

Whereas there is no evidence to indicate that lengthening the tenure clock benefits women, as has been claimed by management, although there is evidence that providing research support, reasonable courseloads, childcare and adequate parental leave does benefit women; and

Whereas stretching the tenure clock lengthens the time when faculty may not feel fully protected by academic freedom and the opportunity to participate in the full life of the campus; and

Whereas an increase in the probationary period decreases job security, delays promotions and raises in salary, increases the period of most intense managerial control, increases the time during which dissenting voices may be silenced, and weakens the University as whole; and

Whereas the PSC believes that this is not the moment to open a debate on tenure but rather a conversation on what is needed at CUNY to make it possible for faculty to succeed, namely adequate research leave, manageable course loads, access to childcare, and ample parental leave, support for scientists conducting research in labs; therefore be it

Resolved, that the Professional Staff Congress oppose the Chancellor’s proposal to extend the untenured period; that the membership and leadership actively oppose the legislation; and that we call on Chancellor Goldstein and the Board of Trustees to withdraw their tenure proposal and instead join the PSC in advocating for investment in the forms of support that have been demonstrated to promote scholarship and research.

Resolution in Support of Intro. No. 271
New York City Equal Benefits Bill

Submitted by: Jay Appleman, QCC Chapter

Whereas legislation before the City Council (Intro. 271) requires that companies which have contracts with the City of New York for $100,000 or more provide the same benefits to employees with domestic partners as they provide to employees with spouses, including health insurance, bereavement and family medical leave; and

Whereas lead sponsor Councilmember Christine Quinn has testified that “The Equal benefits Bill would insure that all New Yorkers are getting equal benefits for equal work. The City of New York has an obligation to demand that businesses that receive public money treat their employees with the same dignity and respect that the City treats its own employees;” and

Whereas Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum has stated “This bill takes New York City the extra mile in its support of domestic partnership benefits. If we are serious about equality for New York City employees, then we must extend that same standard of non-discrimination to those with whom this city does business. All employees deserve the same benefits regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status;” and

Whereas the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Minneapolis, among others, and the State of California have all recognized that discrimination should not be financed by public dollars and have enacted legislation similar to Intro. 271; and

Whereas domestic partner benefits are important not only to LGBT people, but to a variety of individuals who can live together and form families without being married; and it would be wrong for taxpayers’ money to support one set of employees and their families, while leaving another set of employees and their families unprotected; and

Whereas the PSC has a long-established history of opposing discrimination and supporting issues of social justice,

Now Be It Resolved, that the PSC Delegate Assembly affirm it support for the passage of New York City Council Intro. 271; and

Be It Further Resolved, that the PSC’s support be transmitted to the City Council, and included in any testimony before the City Council or its Committees regarding Intro. 271.

Resolution IN SUPPORT OF THE MARCH FOR WOMEN'S LIVES
Sunday, April 25, 2004 in Washington DC

Whereas the PSC is committed to equal rights for all; and

Whereas reproductive rights are essential to women’s full participation in the labor force and in society; and

Whereas the PSC affirms the right and moral capacity of women and men to make sound and responsible decisions about their lives; and

Whereas parenting is a major commitment for women and men and becoming a parent must not be coerced; and

Whereas organized labor is committed to the general welfare of working people; and

Whereas access to health care that includes reproductive health care is a goal of organized labor, not just for its members but for everyone; and

Whereas access to legal abortion is fundamental to women’s reproductive rights; and

Whereas President Bush and his administration, from the first day of assuming office, have taken every opportunity to curtail reproductive rights domestically and internationally; therefore, be it

Resolved, that the PSC endorse and sign on as a co-sponsor of the March for Women’s Lives on Sunday, April 25, 2004 and encourage its labor affiliates to sign on as sponsors and participants as well; and be it further

Resolved, that the PSC encourage and facilitate members’ participation in the March for Women’s Lives.

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions
October 30, 2003

Resolution to Enfranchise Non-citizen Residents in Local Elections

Whereas over 1.3 million non-citizen residents of voting age live in New York City (one in five); and

Whereas non-citizen residents contribute to the economic vitality of New York City, by paying taxes, purchasing goods and services, and working in every sector of the economy; and

Whereas non-citizen residents contribute to the social and cultural vitality of NYC by sending their children to schools, developing and participating in the life of their communities through churches, synagogues, mosques, and community groups; and

Whereas non-citizen residents serve in the military and have died defending this country; and

Whereas non-citizen residents are excluded from participating in the selection of representatives who make laws and public policy affecting their lives on a daily basis; and

Whereas excluding such a significant portion of the city’s population undermines the health, representativness and legitimacy of our laws and public policies; and

Whereas the average time it takes to attain citizenship is ten years; and

Whereas non-citizens voted in local, state and national elections in the U.S. from the Founding until the 1920s and in twenty-two states and federal territories, until it fell casualty to nativism and elite reaction to the potential power of growing working class movements and electoral strength (which also brought literacy tests, poll taxes, restrictive residency and voter registration requirements); and

Whereas the Civil Rights Movement ushered in noncitizen voting in NYC school board elections from 1969 to 2003 (when school boards were eliminated); and

Whereas nearly a dozen other jurisdictions in the U.S. have more recently extended voting rights to non-citizens or are currently considering such legislation, including in San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.; and

Whereas twenty-two countries in the world currently permit resident aliens to vote; and

Whereas non-citizen voting is a proven practical pathway to political incorporation, citizenship and participation as reflected in America’s previous practice with it and as evidenced in contemporary jurisdictions in the U.S. and globally that allow noncitizens to vote—all of which shows voting gives newcomers greater incentives to develop ties to local communities and facilitates civic education and political participation; and

Whereas non-citizens, such as permanent legal residents, comprise a significant proportion of the membership of the PSC and the student body of CUNY who understand the value of the franchise and would be empowered to participate in the democratic process; therefore be it

Resolved, that PSC-CUNY urge its members to support a Resolution or legislation by the City Council which would allow noncitizens to vote in New York City elections, including for Mayor, Comptroller, City Council, Borough Presidents, District Attorneys, and Judges.

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions
September 25, 2003

Resolution ON CAMPUS EQUITY WEEK

Whereas October 27-31, 2003 will be a week of coordinated activities on campuses in the U.S., Canada and Mexico called Campus Equity Week (CEW).

Whereas CUNY has over 9500 part time workers in its collective bargaining unit, including teaching and non-teaching adjuncts, grad fellows, and CLTs, many of whom have served the university for decades.

Whereas CEW is a week dedicated to educate our campus communities, the public and policymakers about the desirability and efficacy of equitable labor policies and standards that encourage fairness and dignity for all members of the campus community.

Whereas failure to extend to all faculty professional conditions, a living wage and respect, compromises the quality of education in the university and risks academic freedom, the stability of the profession, and the integrity of our standing with students and the community.

Whereas CEW is part of a growing movement among working people from all walks of life seeking to address inequities of contingent work.

Be it resolved that the PSC supports Campus Equity Week and will mobilize its full and part-time members to join together in creative ways to implement fairness to contingent workers, through such projects as:

supporting the PSC contract demands for contingent workers, including seniority, parity, and job security
adhering to provisions and guidelines articulated by AFT, AAUP, MLA and other professional groups regarding treatment of adjuncts
creating Adjunct Walls of Fame to counteract the tendency toward invisibility and demeaning stereotypes and devaluation.
calling on governance bodies to develop policies for inclusion of contingent workers in governance

Thereby providing models of a just and equitable democratic community for our students.

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Resolution Against Non-Partisan Elections
Submitted by the Legislation Committee

Whereas Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed a referendum for the November 4^th, 2003 election that calls for non-partisan elections; and

Whereas non-partisan elections will eliminate party primaries in New York City elections for Mayor, Comptroller, City Council and Borough Presidents; and

Whereas non-partisan elections may mislead voters since candidates’ listed party affiliation may not reflect any commitment to party platforms or principles;

Whereas non-partisan elections, take away the right of rank and file party members to choose the candidates in Primary elections that most represent their political positions;

Whereas non-partisan primaries make it easier for candidates to obscure what they stand for and what their positions are; and

Whereas non-partisan elections would eliminate third-party ballot lines in the November general election; and

Whereas the winners of non-partisan elections tend to be those who spend the most and gain name recognition; and

Whereas non-partisan elections distract attention from more tested reforms that are proven to increase voter participation, such as on site registrations, or longer voting periods;

Whereas non-partisan elections will make it more difficult for candidates of color to win office; therefore be it

Resolved, that PSC-CUNY urge its members to vote No on Question #3 in the NYC November 4, 2003 general election.

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions
June 19, 2003

Resolution to Join U.S. Labor Against the War

Resolved, that PSC/CUNY join US Labor Against the War; and be it further

Resolved, that PSC send a delegation to the October 2003 founding convention of the US Labor Against the War; and be it further

Resolved, that PSC create a special DA committee to work on anti-war issues that will exist for one year to be reviewed thereafter

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Resolution in support of Res. No. 909, currently before the NYC Council and calling upon federal, state, and local officials, and New York City agencies and institutions, to affirm and uphold civil rights and civil liberties

Whereas the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, Public Law 107-56, was passed just 45 days after the tragic events of September 11, 2001, without due deliberation and consideration; and

Whereas the original intent to meet demands for urgent action in the face of national emergency has resulted in the significant erosion of constitutional rights in the United States, including the rights to freedom of speech, due process and equal protection; and

Whereas the Act and related executive orders, regulations and actions permit incarceration of non-citizens based upon mere suspicion, and allow for the indefinite detention of citizens without charges and without access to counsel; and

Whereas since September 11, 2001, thousands of Arab, Muslim and South Asian men and students have been interrogated, fingerprinted, and detained based solely or primarily on their religion or ethnicity; and

Whereas the USA PATRIOT Act granted law enforcement and intelligence agencies vast new powers to access personal, medical, library and financial records without having to show probable cause or reasonable suspicion; and

Whereas new FBI guidelines provide the federal government with substantial new powers to engage in surveillance of activities protected by the First Amendment, including the power to spy on political meetings, religious gatherings, internet “chat” rooms, and other public meetings without suspicion of any past, present or future criminal activity; and

Whereas the federal government has drafted new legislation entitled the Domestic Security Enhancement Act (also known as PATRIOT II), which contains sweeping new law enforcement and intelligence gathering powers, many of which are not related to terrorism, that would further compromise constitutional rights, and further undermine our government’s unique system of checks and balances; and

Whereas over 120 communities throughout the country, in addition to three states, have enacted Resolutions that reaffirm support for civil rights and civil liberties and that demand accountability form law enforcement agencies regarding the exercise of the extraordinary new powers referred to herein; and

Whereas PSC/CUNY is committed to protecting and ensuring the civil rights and civil liberties of all residents of the United States of America; therefore be it

Resolved that PSC/CUNY oppose the USA Patriot Act and call for the NYC Council to pass Res. No. 909, which calls upon federal, state and local officials, and upon New York City agencies and institutions, to affirm and uphold civil rights and civil liberties.

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Resolution Opposing FCC's Relaxation of Media Ownership Rules

Whereas the FCC's 3-2 vote on June 2, 2003 to relax media ownership rules will lead to greater concentration and cross-ownership of large media conglomerates across the country,

Whereas increased media concentration inevitably reduces the range of public discourse around contemporary issues of public concern,

Whereas the 1996 relaxation of ownership rules for radio have clearly led to a reduction of local outlets and local news,

Whereas an informed citizenship depends crucially on access and exposure to a broad spectrum of substantively divergent media sources,

Whereas the FCC is an agency of appointed, unelected officials, and the FCC refused to share its research in response to specific Congressional requests,

Resolved that the Professional Staff Congress opposes the relaxation of ownership rules adopted by the FCC on June 2,

Resolved that the Professional Staff Congress encourages its members to express their support for Congressional action to rescind the recently amended rules.

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Resolution in Support of HR 603, on the Status of Citizens
of Montserrat Residing in the United States
Submitted to the Executive Council by Vera Weekes

Whereas the 40 square mile island of Montserrat, situated in the Eastern Caribbean, has been experiencing catastrophic volcanic eruption since July 1995; and

Whereas volcanologists and scientists involved in the disaster have predicted that it is unlikely that the volcano will cease to erupt in the near future, possibly continuing for at least 25 years in total; and

Whereas the Department of State reports that in the near future there is a significant risk of new eruptions caused by the sustained growth of the lava dome of the Soufriere Hills volcano. Continuous dome growth has increased the hazard of pyroclastic flows, explosions, volcanic mudflows, and fall of ash and small stones. The volcano spews hundreds of tons of sulphur dioxide daily, as well as numerous rockfalls and flows of super-heated rocks, ash and gas; and

Whereas the continuous catastrophic volcanic eruptions, the ongoing housing shortage, serious health risks from hazardous volcanic ash have rendered two-thirds of the Island uninhabitable, the remaining one-third impossible to house the population and future habitability uncertain; and

Whereas most of the Island’s 12,000-13,000 inhabitants fled, dispersing throughout the other islands and the United Kingdom (8000) and caused disruption in the education of its students as all schools and churches in the safe zone were used as temporary housing for a period of months and all education therefore ceased for some length of time; and

Whereas this state of affairs created chaos and eventually migration of its students to a more stable environment and

Whereas the devastation of the two-thirds portion of the island reduced the number of Primary schools [K-8] grade from thirteen to two and the Secondary schools [Grades 9 to 12 and first year college] from three to one.

Whereas according to the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service), a small number of Montserratians including students and teachers of the Montserrat Union of Teachers [MUT], 363, came to the United States and have been granted temporary protected status (TPS), renewable each year for a one-year period, by the Attorney General since August 1997; and

Whereas the Montserratians living in the United States cannot return to the island to live and to alleviate the temporary and precarious position granted them by the Attorney General; and

Whereas On February 5, 2003 Congressman Major Owens introduced into the House of Representatives HR 603 “to provide for adjustment of immigration status for certain aliens granted temporary protected status in the United States because of conditions in Montserrat; ” therefore be it

Resolved, that PSC support Bill HR 603 and urge Congress and the Committee on the Judiciary to pass into law.

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions

March 27, 2003

Resolution REGARDING COLOMBIAN TRADE UNIONISTS

Whereas: Over 30,000 people, among them over 3,900 Colombian trade unionists have been assassinated since 1986 and 184 in 2002, including members of the Union of University Workers of Colombia (both faculty and administrators) as well as public school teachers in the Colombian Teachers Federation of whom 48 were killed in the last two months of 2002; and

Whereas: Acccording to the Human Rights Watch recently published Country Report on Colombia the vast majority of killings and attacks on labor leaders are committed by paramilitaries which have ties to the Colombian Armed Forces who have failed to take concrete action to sever the systematic ties between its members and the paramilitary forces; and

Whereas: The Colombian Government has failed to take effective action to investigate, arrest and prosecute the killers of the union members, and have adopted inadequate measures to protect union leaders; and

Whereas: Members of the Colombian Teachers Federation have been not only victims of assassination, but also of kidnapping, disappearances, threats from armed groups, and constant harassment and have issued an appeal for international solidarity; and

Whereas: As part of “Plan Colombia,” United States President George W. Bush on January 10, 2002 signed Public Law (P.L.) 107-115, which authorized $380.5 million in aid to Colombia, the bulk of it for Colombia's military; and weeks later, President Bush requested from the U.S. Congress an emergency supplemental package that included $35 million more for Colombia; and

Whereas: The Professional Staff Congress is a member of the Civil Society Network for Public Education in the Americas, a hemispheric solidarity group of academic unionists.

Therefore be it resolved: The Professional Staff Congress oppose funding by the United States Government of the Colombian Armed Forces under “Plan Colombia,” and participate in the AFL-CIO efforts to provide solidarity and protection for Colombian trade unionists.

Respectfully submitted by
Anthony O’Brien for the International Committee

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions

FOR 2003 NYSUT CONVENTION

December 19, 2002

Reaffirmation of Support of A02354/S2971

Submitted by: Professional Staff Congress

Whereas A02354/S2971 was introduced in the Assembly by Assemblyman Edward Sullivan and the Senate by Senator Toby Stavisky; and

Whereas A02354/S2971 provides that no Trustee of SUNY or CUNY shall be an employee or under the supervision of the appointing authority; and

Whereas the purpose of the bill is to ensure that said Trustees serve with objectivity, independence and integrity; and

Whereas A02354 passed in the New York State Assembly on May 14, 2002 and is now in the New York State Senate; and

Whereas a Resolution submitted to the April 2002 NYSUT RA called for its passage in the 2002 legislative session; and

Whereas the New York State Senate failed to act in 2002; therefore be it

Resolved, that New York State United Teachers work for its passage by the New York State Senate and its enactment into legislation in the 2003 session; and be it further

Resolved, that NYSUT work with the legislators to amend the bill to include a section on a blue ribbon panel to select and review candidates for trustees prior to being nominated.

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In Support of Implementation of "Good Standards in the Employment of Part-Time/Adjunct Faculty"

Submitted by: Professional Staff Congress

Whereas the ratio of part-time to full-time faculty in the state’s two and four year public colleges continues to grow; and

Whereas New York State United Teachers adopted a Resolution on equity for part-time faculty at its 2002 Resolution Assembly; and

Whereas AFT at its 2002 Convention adopted " Standards of Good Practice in the Employment of Part-Time Adjunct Faculty: A Blueprint for Raising Standards and Ensuring Financial and Professional Equity;" therefore be it

Resolved, that New York State United Teachers establish a Committee on Part-Time Labor to develop a plan of implementation for "Standards of Good Practice," including legislation to promote fair labor standards for contingent academic labor and equal pay for equal work.

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Reaffirmation of support for S06244/A11550, LaValle/Sullivan

Submitted by: Professional Staff Congress

Whereas the Professional Staff Congress of CUNY won through collective bargaining a fringe benefit of transit checks for its members; and

Whereas other unions in the Municipal Labor Coalition won and received transit checks for their members; and

Whereas this benefit would allow the purchase of transit checks with pretax dollars thereby reducing the tax liability of PSC members; and

Whereas a bill was introduced by both the Senate and the Assembly in the 2002 session but was not enacted by either body; therefore be it

Resolved, that New York State United Teachers work for its immediate passage in the 2003 session of the New York State Legislature.

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In Support of Equitable Taxation

Submitted by: Professional Staff Congress

Whereas Governor George Pataki drained state reserve funds in order to close the gap in the 2002-2003 state budget; and

Whereas there is an estimated deficit of $2.8 billion in the 2003-2004 state budget; and

Whereas the top personal income tax rate has been cut by 50% over the last twenty-five years; and

Whereas there seems to be a trickle up theory of economics operating in the state whereby taxes on the wealthy are reduced and services for the poor and working class people reduced; and

Whereas the lack of state revenue may lead to a reduced or steady state budget for the City University of New York and the State University of New York; and

Whereas the shortfall may lead the Trustees of the City University of New York and the State University of New York to shift more of the fiscal burden of operating the institutions to students through an increase in tuition; therefore be it

Resolved, that New York State United Teachers urge the Governor and legislature of the State of New York to institute a surcharge on personal income higher than $100,000 per annum and roll back the tax cuts on those incomes as well as find other sources of revenue, including the closing of corporate loopholes.

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Inflation Protection Equity for Optional Retirement Program Members

Submitted by: Professional Staff Congress

Whereas the New York State Legislature has created different retirement systems that New York State and New York City public employees may choose, including New York State and Local Employees Retirement Systems, the New York City Employees Retirement Systems, New York State and New York City Teachers Retirement Systems, and the Optional Retirement Program; and

Whereas it is the New York State Legislature’s intent to provide equity among New York State public retirement systems to the greatest extent practicable; and

Whereas the Legislature has enacted a Cost of Living Adjustment to provide inflation protection for retirees in the eight major New York State public retirement systems, including those mentioned above; therefore be it

Resolved, that NYSUT study the issue of Inflation Protection Equity for retirees in the Optional Retirement Program, and develop such specific legislative proposals as may be appropriate.

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Resolution on the Regents English Examination

Submitted by: Professional Staff Congress

Whereas a large number of new immigrants enter the educational system in New York State at the secondary level; and

Whereas New York State now mandates passing scores on a series of Regents examinations to fulfill graduation requirements; and

Whereas advocacy groups such as the New York Immigration Coalition have expressed concerns about the effects of standardized tests, especially the Regents English Examination, on the graduation rates of high school students who have been designated English Language Learners (i.e., students of limited English proficiency); and

Whereas many public institutions of higher education in New York State offer intensive instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL) to students otherwise academically prepared to begin some college work; and

Whereas many university-level ESL programs have begun to offer paired and linked courses which simultaneously present English language skills and traditional college-level, academic coursework; and

Whereas the City University of New York (CUNY) offers a CUNY Language Immersion Program (CLIP), which is subsidized by the State of New York, and which accepts students of highly limited English proficiency into intensive (25 hours a week) programs designed for beginning-level students; and

Whereas the number of ESL students at CUNY has fallen dramatically in the last seven years; and

Whereas CUNY and the New York City Board of Education have worked consistently in the past decade to facilitate the "seamless" transition from high school to college; and

Whereas many students of limited English proficiency cannot achieve the designated cut scores for the New York State English Regents English Examination and therefore cannot graduate from New York City high schools, despite being academically prepared in other areas; therefore be it

Resolved, that the New York State United Teachers establish a committee to research the effects of the New York State Regents examinations, in particular the English examination, on the rates of high school graduation and college admission among students who are designated ESL, English Language Learner (ELL), or Limited English Proficiency (LEP).

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Resolution on High Stakes Tests

Proposed by: Professional Staff Congress

Whereas there is growing national concern that standardized tests are being overused and misused by college admission’s offices; and

Whereas Fairtest and women’s and civil rights’ organizations have stated that standardized tests, particularly the SAT, are poor predictors of college success for women and students of color; and

Whereas institutions of higher education such as the California State University have proposed that the SAT no longer be used for purposes of admission; and

Whereas there is evidence that the ACT is being misused as a placement and exit instrument at the City University of New York; and

Whereas the focus on standardized tests for assessment, as opposed to teacher judgment, has fueled the "standards" movement; and

Whereas the use and misuse of such instruments prevent the admission of students who otherwise qualify; therefore be it

Resolved, that NYSUT establish a policy committee to review the content and use of standardized tests for admission and placement purposes at the public colleges and universities in New York State. In particular, the committee is to monitor and report the misuse of standardized, high-stakes assessments and to inform the public when tests are misused for purposes other than for which they are developed and designed; and be it further

Resolved, that NYSUT work to ensure that standardized tests are developed and used in a manner consistent with the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (APA Guidelines) published jointly by the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education.

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Resolution on Standardized Testing

Proposed by: Bill Crain and Susan DiRaimo

Whereas standardized tests can provide useful information but have in the past decade come to excessively dominate education in the elementary and secondary grades; and

Whereas standardized testing plays a gatekeeper role in college and graduate school admissions that too frequently exceeds the reliability and validity of the tests; and

Whereas standardized testing encourages teachers to gear instruction to tests rather than using their own judgments about curriculum and students' needs; and

Whereas test-driven instruction commonly consists of tedious exercises and drills and inhibits learning; and

Whereas standardized tests consistently yield lower scores among students of color which contributes to increased drop-out rates;

therefore, be it

Resolved, that NYSUT oppose the dominance of standardized testing in Education; and be it further

Resolved, that NYSUT maintain that no school district or public institution of higher learning should be required to make any high-stakes decision on the basis of a standardized test score alone.

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Resolution on Indoor Air Quality

Proposed by: Professional Staff Congress

Whereas the quality and supply of indoor air is a major factor supporting healthy and productive learning environments; and

Whereas many public schools and colleges, especially in urban centers, have self- contained Heating and Ventilation Systems (HVAC) which do not provide an adequate supply of fresh air to classrooms and work areas; and

Whereas the construction authority of many public schools and colleges through subcontracting for such systems too frequently does not install the optimum equipment; and

Whereas the administrations of many public schools and colleges are not provided sufficient funding for trained staff to maintain indoor air systems (HVAC); and

Whereas the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has published standards for circulation of indoor air; therefore be it

Resolved, that the NYSUT work to enact state legislation to ensure that all new construction meet the ASHRAE standards of 20 cubic feet per minute (CFM) per person of fresh air in all classrooms, laboratories and work areas; and be it further

Resolved, that NYSUT work to ensure that state agencies appropriate adequate funds to provide for the installation and maintenance of heating and ventilation systems in all new construction of public schools and colleges; and be it further

Resolved, that NYSUT work to enact legislation to ensure that all existing public school and college buildings that do not meet the standard be retrofitted to meet the standard within three (3) years.

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Resolution for Paid Family Leave

Submitted by: Professional Staff Congress

Whereas many working people are extremely stressed by the routine time constraints of trying to meet their work and family responsibilities; and

Whereas such conflicting demands are even more acute at the birth or adoption of a child or when a child, spouse, domestic partner or parent has a serious illness; and

Whereas the Federal Family Medical and Leave Act only provides for unpaid leave; and

Whereas many working people cannot afford to use unpaid family leave; and

Whereas some states and a number of union contracts already offer some paid family leave for childbirth, adoption or serious illnesses of family members, including domestic partners; and

Whereas women have been the primary caretakers within their immediate and extended families, broadly defined; and

Whereas women now participate in the paid labor force at almost the same rate as men; and

Whereas employers have made very few accommodations to these dramatic changes in the labor force and its impact on families; and

Whereas it is in the interest of employers to reduce the stress employees have between work and home responsibilities; and

Whereas reducing such stress benefits employers and employees; and

Whereas the cost is modest if funded through an insurance mechanism specifically designed for family leave as outlined in the FMLA; therefore be it

Resolved, that NYSUT urge the New York State Legislature to include up to 12 weeks paid family leave as a benefit to public and private employers with over 50 employees; and be it further

Resolved, that the cost of paid family leave, at the rate of 80% of full pay, be borne by insurance supplied by employers with 50 or more employees; and be it further

Resolved, that employees who use paid or unpaid family leave not be subject to any loss of standing when they return to work.

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Resolution on Funding for CUNY’S Technical Programs

Submitted by: Professional Staff Congress

Whereas in addition to severe equipment needs, CUNY’s colleges are desperately short of full-time College Lab Technicians (CLTs); and

Whereas in addition to the obvious academic and health and safety issues caused by this high ratio of part-time/full-time CLTs, there is also a severe budget problem created by the large number of adjunct CLTs; and

Whereas CUNY Colleges’ technical programs are chronically short of funds to purchase large-scale program specific equipment; and

Whereas an insufficiency of technical equipment and a shortage of full-time College Lab Technicians vitiates the quality of the academic experience for students in technical areas; and

Whereas CUNY’s instruction staff model does not fund the adjunct CLTs, their salaries become a drain on the colleges’ already strained budget; therefore be it

Resolved, that NYSUT lobby for funding to address the College Laboratory Technician shortage.

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TIAA/CREF Equity with TRS

ERI and Veteran’s Benefit

Submitted by: Professional Staff Congress

Whereas NY State has enacted legislation offering United States military veterans in the Teachers Retirement System the opportunity to purchase up to three years pension credit, for veterans of military service rendered during conflict, upon their retirement; and

Whereas this credit provides a lifetime annuity of 3% of the pensionable salary for each year (and fraction thereof) of military service up to a limit of 3 years; and

Whereas Optional Retirement Plan members were excluded from that legislation; and

Whereas TIAA/CREF is able to provide a lifetime annuity for its members upon retirement and to determine the cost thereof; and

Whereas it is unfair and discriminatory to provide a pension benefit to a portion of the staff to the exclusion of others similarly situated; therefore be it

Resolved, that NYSUT seek legislation that requires an identical benefit be provided to all veterans that are ORP participants in CUNY and SUNY upon their retirement; and be it further

Resolved, that ORP participants be offered the opportunity to obtain an annuity identical to the one offered to TRS participants and to contribute to the cost thereof at the same rate as TRS participants.

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions

November 21, 2002

Resolution: Master Plan Amendment

Whereas the NY State Board of Regents will vote on Dec. 12 or 13 on whether to continue the CUNY Master Plan Amendment, which bars students with any remedial needs from admission to the university’s bachelor’s degree programs;

Whereas neither SUNY, nor the vast majority of the nations public colleges, has such an exclusionary admissions policy; and

Whereas it is unfair to deny CUNY’s prospective students, who are often from poor families and are predominantly students of color, the same opportunities as students at SUNY and nationwide; and

Whereas data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights indicate that the policy is disproportionately turning away qualified students of color from CUNY’s bachelor degree programs; and

Whereas the CUNY Administration had failed to show that the tests used to bar students from the bachelor’s degree programs predict success in CUNY courses sufficiently well to meet the customary standards of test validity; now therefore be it

Resolved, that the PSC-CUNY urge the Regents to direct CUNY to develop a bachelor’s degree admissions policy that is not racially and ethnically discriminatory, as well as more flexible and valid; and be it further

Resolved, that the PSC-CUNY support the University Faculty Senate and the Friends of CUNY proposal to allow otherwise qualified freshman applicants with a remedial need in only one area to enroll in the bachelor’s degree programs, with the students receiving all the necessary academic support and a year to erase the deficiency.

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Resolution: Call for a Public Hearing
On CUNY Master Plan Amendment

Whereas the CUNY Master Plan Amendment mandates an admissions policy that has significant effects on the students of our city and raises issues of social justice; and

Whereas the New York State Board of Regents plans to vote in December 2002, without any public hearing on the continuation of the Master Plan Amendment; and

Whereas the New York State Education Department (SED) has conducted campus site visits and has analyzed CUNY data with respect to the Master Plan Amendment, and the SED has reported most of its findings to the Regents; and

Whereas the Regents nevertheless have not heard from a wide range of students, faculty, staff, and community groups that have a major stake in the university; now therefore be it

Resolved, that the PSC-CUNY call upon the New York State Board of Regents to hold a New York City public hearing on the continuation of the Master Plan Amendment.

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Resolution Protesting Creation of Non-Teaching
Instructional Staff Lines Outside Bargaining Unit

      Whereas the Delegate Assembly of the Professional Staff Congress is representative of the entire instructional staff, and

      Whereas the University is attempting to fragment the instructional staff and diminish the status of the non-teaching instructional staff by creating and hiring on CUNY Civil Service and other union (non-PSC) titles, persons whose positions were previously held by members of the bargaining unit, and

      Whereas the University is eroding the academic integrity of departments and the professional partnership amongst faculty, college laboratory technicians, and higher education officers by replacing their titles with administrative civil service titles, and

      Whereas the new CUNY civil service and other union (non-PSC) positions are replacing PSC instructional staff functions,

Therefore, Be it resolved that the PSC Delegate Assembly directs its officers to continue to oppose efforts by management to hire or appoint instructional staff to non-PSC titles that add to the formation of a contingent work force at CUNY, and

Be it further resolved that the PSC Delegate Assembly reaffirms the rights of the Professional Staff Congress to enter into negotiations with CUNY prior to the creation, reallocation, or conversion of any instructional positions to administrative CUNY Civil-Service and other union (non-PSC) titles that erode the membership of the PSC, and bypass CUNY By-Laws, the tenure system, and college and departmental procedures.

                                                        Submitted by
                                                        Ellen P. Steinberg

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Delegate Assembly Resolution

September 19, 2002

Resolution on the Use of U.S. Military Forces to Invade Iraq

Presented by Peter Roman, Hostos Community College To the PSC Delegate Assembly
Passed by the PSC Delegate Assembly September 19, 2002

Whereas: The Bush Administration is about to submit a Resolution to Congress allowing for the use of United States military forces to invade Iraq. A military invasion of Iraq would be a violation of international law, the U.N. Charter and United States law.

Be it resolved that:

The PSC contact the United States Senators and Members of Congress from New York State and request that they vote against the Resolution.

The delegates and officers of the PSC urge all PSC members to call their local Members of Congress and Senators to state their opposition to this Resolution and ask them to vote against it.

The phone numbers for the U.S. Senators from New York are as follows:

Hillary Clinton 212-688-6262

Charles Schumer 212-486-4430

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Delegate Assembly Resolution

May 30, 2002

Resolution OPPOSING EXPANSION OF US MILITARY CAMPAIGNS IN A
PERMANENT AND UNCONDITIONAL "WAR ON TERROR"

Whereas we write as New Yorkers, as unionists and as people who have dedicated their professional lives to open discussion of complex questions; and

Whereas our location in New York means that we have felt and continue to feel the effects-ranging from minor dislocations to profound grief-of the murderous attacks of September 11th , and that we take seriously the danger of future attacks; and

Whereas the members of the Professional Staff Congress were among the many people who responded magnificently to the catastrophe and who suffered terrible loss that day: eight of our members died in the attack, as did numerous family members and friends, at least 30 of our students and 161 alumni of the City University of New York; and

Whereas President Bush, in his January 29, 2002 State of the Union address stated that "our war on terror is well begun, but it is only begun," and Vice President Dick Cheney has said it is possible that the war might be expanded to "forty or fifty other countries," possibly lasting "fifty years or more"; and

Whereas President Bush, speaking in Germany on May 23, 2002, called the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein "a threat to all civilization" and appealed to German legislators for help "in waging a wider war on terrorism," (The New York Times, 5/23/02); and

Whereas with military spending already accounting for nearly one-fifth of the total federal budget and over half of all Congressional discretionary spending, President Bush's proposed military budget of $396 billion, coupled with current tax policy, will create austerity for working people and disinvestment in education, health care, environmental safety and other human needs; and

Whereas the Bush Administration has sharply limited civil liberties and access to information since September 11th: Freedom of Information Act policies have been revised to restrict access for journalists, scholars and others; Congress passed the USA-PATRIOT Act, which permits breakage and entry without court orders, expansion of wiretaps, imprisonment of suspected terrorists without trial, and secret military tribunals; and

Whereas public discussion in the United States of the way to create domestic security has been narrowly focused on war, neglecting issues that contribute to domestic insecurity such as US foreign policy, the consequences of globalization, inequities in the distribution of wealth, and others; and

Whereas modern weapons mean that heavy loss of civilian life is now an intrinsic part of war, not an accidental consequence: according to the United Nations Conference on Children, 90% of war casualties are now civilian, as opposed to 5% during World War I; and

Whereas we as a union have engaged in a two-month period of discussion on the position the PSC should take on the current military policy of the US government, using chapter meetings, the Delegate Assembly, chapter newsletters, the union newspaper and the website to conduct a vigorous and democratic debate; and

Whereas members expressed many different points of view in the discussion, but consistently raised three themes: condemnation of the terrorist attacks, concern about security and the domestic consequences of war, and opposition to expansion of war; therefore

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Professional Staff Congress reaffirm the Resolutions it passed unanimously on September 20, 2001, which condemned the terrorist attacks of September 11th , extended sympathy to those grieving for people they loved, and offered solidarity with fellow workers in a time of mourning; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Professional Staff Congress oppose the unconditional expansion of military campaigns by the United States as a substitute for a strategy in response to September 11th that would genuinely protect collective security and individual freedom, in a manner consistent with our Constitutional principles; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Professional Staff Congress call for a broad public discussion of how to create real and lasting security that goes beyond war as the only solution, considering such issues as US foreign policy, the consequences of globalization, and inequities in the distribution of wealth; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Professional Staff Congress oppose the federal funding priorities that cannot be separated from a commitment to expanded war and permanent militarization: austerity for labor and disinvestment in education, health care, environmental safety and other human needs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Professional Staff Congress oppose the curtailment of civil, human and immigrant rights and of academic freedom for both students and faculty that is also directly related to expansion of war and permanent militarization; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Professional Staff Congress continue the union discussion begun this spring on war and related issues at chapter and university-wide meetings during the 2002-03 academic year, for such a discussion will strengthen us as a union, deepening our practice of democracy and participating in the richest tradition of unionism; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Professional Staff Congress bring this or a similar Resolution to the labor, academic and community groups with which it is affiliated, calling on them to take the lead in proposing an agenda that frees all people from terror and promotes peace through justice.

[NOTE: Two months of debate preceded this Resolution. Discussion took place at the chapters, in the pages of the May Clarion and on this Website. Click here for materials provided on this Website to promote debate.]

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Delegate Assembly Resolution

April 25, 2002

Resolution in Support of the United Faculty of Florida Chapter at the University of South Florida in Tampa

Whereas the newly appointed Board of Trustees and President, Dr. Judy Genshaft, of the University of South Florida, have acted to dismiss a tenured faculty member, Dr. Sami

Al-Arian, on spurious charges of disrupting the university and insubordination, and

Whereas the faculty member was not afforded the right to see evidence against him, to present his side of the story, to cross examine witnesses, or even to be present at the “emergency” Board of Trustees meeting at which the President was instructed to fire him, thus depriving him of any semblance of due process, and

Whereas the charge of disruption stems not from any action of Dr. Al-Arian’s but from threats made against him, and the charge of insubordination stems from his one-time presence on the campus in alleged violation of a disputed verbal order banning him, and

Whereas this threat to academic freedom and the First Amendment has all the hallmarks of a politically motivated attack on the personal views of a member of the university community uttered extramurally, and

Whereas our brothers and sisters at the United Faculty of Florida are defending their colleague’s right to voice his convictions in public without fear of reprisal, and are therefore defending the rights of all members of the larger academic community,

THEREFORE, be it resolved, that we join in solidarity with them in their struggle (and donate $100 in support of their efforts), and ask our president to urge the executive council of the American Federation of Teachers to join in support of the United Faculty of Florida.

For consideration by the Solidarity Committee on March 18, 2001
For consideration by the Delegate Assembly on March 21, 2002
Passed by the Delegate Assembly April 25, 2002

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Resolution ON JOINING THE CIVIL SOCIETY NETWORK
FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THE AMERICAS

Whereas CUNY, like other public institutions of higher education throughout the United States, Canada, and the Western Hemisphere, has suffered severe cutbacks; and

Whereas these cutbacks stem from the economic policies of austerity, privatization, and deregulation; and

Whereas the process of creating a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) before it, threatens a radical expansion of investment and trade in private, commercialized education services, at the expense of public education in the hemisphere; and

Whereas teachers’ unions and other educators’ organizations have conducted research, proposed alternatives, and taken common action to alleviate the harmful results of such policies; and

Whereas the Civil Society Network for Public Education in the Americas/CSNPEA (Red Social para la Educacion Publica en las Americas/Red SEPA) conducts such research, develops communication networks and publication, holds conferences on the impact of these neoliberal policies on education throughout the Americas, proposes alternative approaches consistent with strong and democratic public education systems, and helps to mobilize educators, students and others in support of democratic and public education; and

Whereas the CSNPEA/Red SEPA plans an October 2002 Continental Campaign to defend public education in the Western Hemisphere;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the PSC-CUNY becomes a member of the Civil Society Network for Public Education in the Americas and participate in the Continental Campaign.

Resolution drafted by members of the International Committee: Electa Arenal, Renate Bridenthal (convenor), Jack Hammond, John Mineka, Tony O’Brien and Peter Ranis.

Passed by the EC April 4, 2002
Passed by Delegate Assembly April 25, 2002

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Resolution IN SUPPORT OF “JOURNEY OF HOPE”

Resolution to the Delegate Assembly – 04/25/02
Submitted by: Susan Schindler, Department of Mathematics, Baruch College
Passed by the PSC Delegate Assembly 04/25/02

Whereas in recent weeks and days, grave concerns about the implementation of the death penalty have been raised by the exoneration of the 100^th death row prisoner in the United States; and,

Whereas the Illinois panel commissioned by Governor Ryan of Illinois called for a sweeping overhaul in that state’s death penalty system and a majority of members of that panel called for an outright abolition of the death penalty; and,

Whereas numerous studies have documented many problems with the fairness, specifically racially discriminatory applications, in the implementation of the death penalty in the United States; and,

Whereas New York State now has a death penalty statue. Although there have been no executions under this statue, there are currently 6 prisoners on death row in this state; and,

Whereas there are problems with the legal process, including inequities in determining when the death penalty is sought by prosecutors and a reduction in funding of the state’s Capital Defender Office; and,

Whereas a pending Resolution in the New York City Council urges a moratorium on the death penalty; and,

Whereas members of the “Journey of Hope: From Violence to Healing,”* parents and children of murder victims who oppose the death penalty, will be appearing in New York City over the next few days along with people exonerated after spending years in prison, convicted of murder; and,

Whereas the PSC wishes to encourage further discussion of this issue; and,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Professional Staff Congress goes on record in support of events that promote a dialogue on the death penalty, including the Journey of Hope, and urges its members to attend a Journey of Hope event.

*Click HERE for Journey of Hope information sheet

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Resolution ON REFUNDS AND REINSTATEMENT OF UNION DEDUCTIONS TO THOSE IN EXCLUDED STATUS

Whereas an individual hired or appointed to an excluded status, may erroneously continue to have dues/fees deducted from his/her paycheck; when an exclusion is removed, union deductions are not always reinstated promptly,

Whereas individual college payroll offices, and the City University of New York Central Office are responsible for stopping and reinstating dues/fees deductions,

Whereas individual college payroll offices and CUNY Central Office have not always been prompt and timely in the processing of exclusions and union restatements,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the PSC shall process exclusions based upon proper notification from the Office of Faculty and Staff Relations, and upon timely receipt (as defined within) by a written request by the individual or college representative once the erroneous dues/fees deductions have ceased. Refund requests shall be directed to the PSC Membership Coordinator. Refunds will be processed retroactively for no more than four months prior to the effective date of the exclusion.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED; that the PSC shall insist that CUNY make every effort to expeditiously reinstate union deductions (dues/fees) from those who have had their exclusions removed since the untimely filing of this paperwork causes loss of revenue to the PSC.

Passed by the PSC Delegate Assembly on April 25, 2002
This policy shall become effective June 1, 2002

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Delegate Assembly Resolution

March 21, 2002

Resolution RE: RESCINDING LETTER OF AGREEMENT OF DECEMBER,
1998 REQUIRING TIMESHEETS FOR ADJUNCTS

Whereas after the vote by the membership on the contract in 1998, a "letter of understanding" was agreed to between the then Executive Director, Dr. Frank Annunziato and his counterparts at CUNY. The agreement was signed by Dr. Annunziato in December 1998.

Whereas the December agreement stated, in part,

"Effective January 28, 1999, all non-teaching adjuncts and continuing education teachers in both the senior and community colleges may be required to fill out biweekly time sheets to verify hours worked and will be paid on an hourly basis for the hour actually worked and submitted on the time sheets.

Whereas thereafter, a system of "timesheets" signed biweekly by non-teaching adjuncts and continuing education teachers was put into effect in January 1999 and has been extended to include teaching adjuncts at some community colleges.

Whereas for many years, prior to this agreement, non-teaching adjuncts and continuing

Whereas for many years, prior to this agreement, non-teaching adjuncts and continuing education teachers and teaching adjuncts at community colleges were not only deemed trustworthy but diligent enough by their supervisors, departments and colleges to be continually rehired. There was no need for this "letter of agreement" which was never ratified by the membership as a whole.

Whereas these "timesheets" have not only been demeaning to the adjunct faculty but often result in continually delayed payments. (The "timesheets" must not only be signed by the adjunct, then by the supervisor who then returns it to the adjunct and then must be transported to the payroll office. The process may take many days to complete.)

And, Whereas these "timesheets" have also created vast paper bureaucracies in which design and develop of the color-coordinated "sheets" becomes important, clerical time is wasted to create, print, collect, and file the "sheets" as well as transmit the information to Albany. Additionally, since these are public documents, there are costs of file cabinetry and certainly rental space for storage of these paper files. Oddly, during all this paper production since 1999, college academic departments find their budgets for Xerox & computer paper cut to the bone.

And, Whereas the Chancellor now endeavors to create administrative efficiencies,

Therefore Be It Resolved, that the PSC-CUNY Delegate Assembly calls upon the PSC leadership, in order to properly represent a large group of its adjunct membership, to press for the cessation of "time sheets" which were imposed by management.

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Delegate Assembly Resolution

February 28, 2002

Resolution in Defense of the PSC Leadership’s
Stand on Dissent and Academic Freedom

Presented by Steve Leberstein, Manny Ness and Miriam Thompson for the February 2002 Delegate Assembly

Whereas the leadership has shown strength and resilience in guiding the union’s diverse constituencies’ efforts to influence the mission and course of the public university, and

Whereas the leadership has steadfastly championed the right of the CUNY student body and its faculty and staff to academic freedom and uncensored public discourse about major public policy issues, and

Whereas the leadership has been attacked for the principled stand in defending our members when they were vilified by the press, the Chancellor, the Board of Trustees and the Mayor for questioning government policy, and

Whereas the leadership tried to temper the stance of the University administration at a time when questioning of the government and dissent were imperiled, and to protect the welfare of its students, staff and faculty by so doing; now therefore be it

Resolved, that the Delegate Assembly express its support for the PSC leadership’s defense of the First Amendment and our members’ and students’ academic freedom.

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions

December 20, 2001

NOTE: A number of the Resolutions at the 12/20/01 were prepared for presentation at the 2002 NY State United Teachers (NYSUT) Representative Assembly. Click HERE for a Word document of the final, edited versions of those Resolutions as submitted to NYSUT.

Resolution to Reaffirm Support of Open Admissions (Expires in 2002)
Submitted by PSC-CUNY, Local 2334

Whereas the New York State United Teachers adopted the following Resolution in its original form; therefore be it

Resolved, that NYSUT reaffirms its commitment to Open Admissions; and be it further

Resolved, that NYSUT pledges to work to strengthen remedial and ESL programs at CUNY and SUNY community colleges and to achieve optimum conditions for the transition from high school to college for New York State students.

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Resolution to Reaffirm Support for Academic Freedom (Expires 2002)
Submitted by PSC-CUNY. Local 2334

Whereas the New York State United Teachers adopted the following Resolution in its original form; and

Whereas the work of faculty at the City University of New York and State University of New York relies upon a commitment to academic freedom; and

Whereas academic freedom has been undermined and challenged in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United Sates; and

Whereas it is essential to scholarship, research and teaching at the university level; therefore be it

Resolved, that NYSUT reaffirm its belief that higher education in New York State maintain an atmosphere of academic freedom which encourages individuals, in the words of the State University of New York’s motto, " To Learn - To Search – To Serve," by offering forums where issues of diversity are explored in an environment of safety and mutual respect for all participants, and be it further

Resolved, that NYSUT oppose attempts to subject university activities to political or ideological screening by groups within or without the university community; and be it further

Resolved, that NYSUT reaffirm its support for the principle that the individual and collective professional judgment of the faculty, in accordance with the principle of academic freedom, is the best guarantor of intellectual quality.

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Resolution on High Stakes Testing (Passed June DA, reaffirm)
Submitted by PSC-CUNY

Whereas standardized testing has become a growth industry with too great an influence over classroom practice and curriculum; and

Whereas standardized tests have become a gatekeeper that unduly influence educational decisions; and

Whereas decisions based upon such tests may irrevocably direct the course of education for an individual; and

Whereas standardized tests have been criticized for more than twenty years as culturally biased against women and students of color; and

Whereas the increasing use of high stakes tests has provoked a backlash against standardized testing by parents, student advocates, educators and scholars who are calling for multiple measures of testing as well as fairness and accuracy in testing; therefore, be it

Resolved, that the New York State United Teachers seek to work with the New York State Department of Education to promote multiple assessments, including portfolios and other forms of authentic assessment, as fair and valid measures of students’ academic achievement, and be it further

Resolved, that the New York State United Teachers seek State legislation to allow school districts to develop and implement alternative assessment procedures, and be it further

Resolved, that the New York State United Teachers, working with its affiliate the American Federation of Teachers, seek federal legislation that requires fairness, accuracy in high stakes testing, and alternative means of assessment.

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Resolution to Reaffirm Support for Workers’ Compensation (Adopted by the 2001 RA)
Submitted by PSC-CUNY, Local 2334

Whereas the New York State United Teachers adopted the following Resolution in its original form; and

Whereas Workers’ Compensation is vital to the well being of contingent labor as well as full-time workers; therefore be it

Resolved, that NYSUT continue to emphasize its commitment to Workers’ Compensation

Resolved, that NYSUT actively support legislative and regulatory efforts to improve the workers’ compensation system for workers and to fight efforts to diminish benefits, rights and access to workers’ compensation, and direct its legislative department to work toward this end and that, in addition, copies of this Resolution be sent to members of the legislature and to the New York State AFL-CIO.

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Resolution on Workers’ Compensation for CUNY Adjuncts (Passed June DA, reaffirm)
Submitted by PSC-CUNY, Local 2334

Whereas the City University of New York has not yet recovered from the financial emergencies of 1976 and 1995 that forced the retrenchment and retirement of full-time faculty; and

Whereas during the three decades, adjuncts have become a significant portion of the teaching power of the City University of New York; and

Whereas the City University of New York relies upon adjuncts to be available for the fall and spring semester; and

Whereas adjuncts do not have a guarantee of future employment, nor employment between semesters; and

Whereas adjuncts should be entitled to the same protections as other workers; therefore be it

Resolved that NYSUT seek legislation to amend Workers’ Compensation Law, Article 9, Disability Benefits, to eliminate the exemption of educational institutions from providing mandatory long-term disability coverage to employees; and be it further

Resolved that NYSUT seek the support of the New York State AFL-CIO to gain Workers’ Compensation for adjuncts at the City University of New York.

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Resolution on Full-time Faculty (DA 12/20/01)
Submitted by PSC-CUNY, Local 2334

Whereas as a result of fiscal exigencies and Early Retirement Incentives, there has been a loss or more than 50% of the full-time faculty of the City University of New York over the last three decades; and

Whereas the City University of New York has been unable to replace full-time faculty at a rate commensurate with that loss; and

Whereas too few full-time faculty in a department jeopardizes the accreditation of departments, programs and colleges; and

Whereas too few full-time faculty is incompatible with the University’s maintaining first rate programs and a research university; therefore, be it

Resolved that the New York State United Teachers seek legislation to ensure a ratio of 70/30 full-time to part-time faculty at the public senior and community colleges of the State of New York.

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Resolution on CUNY Tuition (DA 12/20/01)
Submitted by PSC-CUNY, Local 2334

Whereas the mission of the City University of New York is to provide access, excellence and education to all the people of the City of New York; and

Whereas CUNY too hastily, too thoughtlessly, and unilaterally determined that it should impose higher tuition on out-of-status and undocumented students even though they may have graduated from a New York City high school; and

Whereas thousands of students will be denied this opportunity if higher tuition is imposed; and

Whereas both the University Faculty Senate and PSC-CUNY passed Resolutions calling for the State Legislature to enact statutory changes to maintain the eligibility of out-of-status and undocumented students who have one or more years of high school in New York; therefore, be it

Resolved that New York State United Teachers will support the legislation introduced by Assemblyman Peter Rivera that states " . . . the board of trustees shall charge the same rate of tuition that is charged to state residents, to any person who is an alien, if such person: attended a secondary or high school in the state, and received a high school diploma from a secondary or high school within the state, or obtained a general education diploma issued within the state."

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Resolution on STAP/Supplemental Tuition Assistance Program/ (12/20/01)
Submitted by Susan Di Raimo, Delegate CCNY

Whereas a large number of students with high school diplomas and GEDs need remedial and developmental courses; and

Whereas many or most of these students need financial aid in order to attend CUNY; and

Whereas credit accumulation requirements for receiving TAP (Tuition Assistance Program) prevents these students from completing remedial classes in a timely fashion; therefore, be it

Resolved, that New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) seek legislation that re-instates STAP so that these students may complete remedial and developmental courses within one year.

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Resolution on Pension Equity (DA 12/20/01)
Submitted by PSC-CUNY, Local 2334

Whereas members of Tiers III and IV are no longer required to make a contribution to TRS; and

Whereas members of Tiers I and II of TRS receive additional credits upon retirement; and

Whereas the majority of faculty and staff at the City University of New York and the State University of New York are in the Optional Retirement Program which has not received a similar benefit; therefore be it

Resolved, that the New York State United Teachers seek legislation that secures pension equity for the employees of the City University of New York and the State University of New York who are members of the Optional Retirement Program; and be it further

Resolved, that the legislation require the employer to assume the three percent employee contribution for Optional Retirement Program members with more than ten years of membership in the ORP.

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Resolution on Teachers Retirement System Pension for Adjuncts (12/20/01)
Submitted by Sylvia Rackow, Delegate Baruch College

Whereas currently CUNY adjuncts contribute monies to the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) to receive a pension at retirement; and

Whereas currently the TRS pension for CUNY adjuncts is based on the number of years of TRS credited service with 360 hours equal to one (1) year; and

Whereas an adjunct must generally work one and one half years (1 ½ years) to two (2) years in order to reach one (1 ) year of TRS credited service; and

Whereas currently when an adjunct retires the TRS pension is based only on the final year’s service, i.e. the last 12 months gross salary which does not, in most cases, equal the 360 hours for one (1) year salary; and

Whereas the inequity leaves the CUNY adjuncts with a much lower pension than they should receive, despite having contributed monies to the pension plan, and should be corrected; therefore, be it

Resolved, that NYSUT seek changes in the TRS pension plan to reflect proper credit so that the pension is calculated on the salary earned in the last 360 hours of service.

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Resolution on Part-Timers’ Membership in the ORP (DA 12/20/01)
Submitted by PSC-CUNY, Local 2334

Whereas full-time faculty and others have a choice of pension systems, TRS or ORP; and

Whereas part-timers, a large part of the teaching force of CUNY, are restricted to the TRS system; and

Whereas the ORP is a portable system that moves with the employee; and

Whereas as part-time labor, adjuncts may seek employment elsewhere and would have their pension plan move with them; therefore, be it

Resolved that New York State United Teachers will seek legislation to amend New York State Education Law, Article 125A, Section 6250 Definitions to include the various titles of part-timers (adjuncts) employed at the City University of New York.

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Support for A02354/S2971, Sullivan /Stavisky
Submitted by PSC-CUNY, Local 2334

Whereas A02354/S2971 was introduced in the Assembly by Assemblyman Edward Sullivan and the Senate by Toby Stavisky; and

Whereas AO2354/S2971 provides that no Trustee of SUNY or CUNY shall be an employee of under the supervision of the appointing authorities; and

Whereas the purpose of the bill is to ensure that said Trustees serve with objectivity, independence and integrity; and

Whereas A02354 passed in the New York State Assembly on May 14, 2001 and is now in the New York State Senate; therefore be it

Resolved, that New York State United Teachers will work for its passage by the New York State Senate and its enactment into legislation in the 2002 session.

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions

November 29, 2001

Resolution on Increasing Tuition for Undocumented Immigrants

Whereas CUNY’s general counsel has decided CUNY must charge undocumented immigrants out-of-state tuition instead of in-state tuition in order to bring the university into compliance with a 1996 federal law; and

Whereas the general counsel’s determination is open to question, since California and Texas have not decided to respond to the 1996 law in the same way (NY Times, Nov. 3); and

Whereas undocumented immigrants are generally very poor, are ineligible for TAP and federal aid, and already work long hours for low-wages to pay the in-state tuition; and

Whereas the university’s historic mission is to provide opportunities to the poor and immigrant students; now therefore be it

Resolved, that PSC-CUNY calls on the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees to halt the implementation of the new tuition increase for undocumented immigrants and calls for a much fuller review and open discussion of the university’s policy.

Adopted Unanimously
By the PSC Delegate Assembly
November 29, 2001

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions

October 25, 2001

Resolution IN SUPPORT OF THE HOSTOS Resolution PASSED ABY THE DELEGATE ASSEMBLY OF THE PSC-CUNY 10/25/01

Whereas we uphold the first amendment rights of freedom of expression, and assembly as further embodied in the principles of Academic Freedom; and

Whereas these rights were violated by the arrest of CUNY students and faculty on the Hostos campus on Wednesday and Thursday, August 15th and 16, 2001; and

Whereas these arrests by-passed the due process and institutional governance of the College’s Disciplinary Committee; and

Whereas access to the college was denied to credentialed CUNY faculty and students; and

Whereas those arrests and related actions damaged the fragile image and reputation of Hostos Community College as an institution of higher learning;

THEREFORE, we respectfully urge

that the Hostos and CUNY authorities use their influence to convince the District Attorney to drop the charges against Mr. Miguel Malo; and

that Hostos should follow the proper procedure for dealing with disciplinary actions; and
that a clear statement of principles applying to demonstrations and other matters relating to freedom of expression, assembly, and access be articulated and developed by a task force representing the entire College constituency; and
that the Hostos governance bodies join in establishing an oversight committee to monitor the activities of Campus Security and ensure First Amendment rights and principles of Academic Freedom are fully respected on the campus; and
that the President apologize to the College community in the spirit of conciliation, cooperation, and collegiality for by-passing the College’s due process and governance and for disregarding First Amendment rights and principles of Academic Freedom in condoning those arrests on our campus.

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions

June 14, 2001

Dues Restructuring Proposal Passed

At a special meeting, the PSC Delegate Assembly on Thursday, June 14 considered the Resolution printed below. The PSC distributed the Resolution and a letter explaining it to the entire membership in May, held two public hearings and established a discussion board on this Web site dedicated only to this proposal. After an hour of debate, the Delegate Assembly approved the Resolution by a vote of 63 to 3.

Dues/agency fee for full-time members/employees in titles represented by the PSC shall be 1.05% of gross income, deducted by the employer, effective the start of the 2001/2002 school year.

ResolutionS PASSED AT REGULAR 6/14/01 MEETING

Click the following to open or save as Word documents

REPORTS AT THE REGULAR 6/14/01 MEETING

Click the following to open or save as Word document

Election Committee Report

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Delegate Assembly Resolutions

March 22, 2001

Resolution ON PUBLIC HOSPITAL BUDGET CUTS

Whereas the mission of the New York City public hospitals, currently directed by the Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), is to provide the highest quality health care to all New Yorkers regardless of the individual’s ability to pay; and

Whereas our city’s public hospitals, while pursuing this mission, have produced many of the great innovations in medical history, such as the hypodermic syringe, the emergency pavilion, the hospital-based ambulance service, mechanical staple sutures, the coronary bypass operation, and breakthroughs in the treatment of burns, Tay-Sachs disease, and atherosclerosis; and

Whereas Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has reduced taxes for the wealthy while steadily slashing the city’s subsidy to the HHC until it has reached its present amount—zero; and

Whereas HHC President Luis Marcos, a Giuliani appointee, has recently proposed drastic cuts in the HHC budget which threaten the loss of 4,000 hospital worker jobs in the next four years; and

Whereas the HHC’s financial situation does not justify budget cuts; and

Whereas President Marcos’s proposed cuts, while perhaps serving his own political ambitions, will damage workers’ livelihoods and people’s health throughout the city; and

Whereas the Municipal Hospital Employees Union Local 420, DC37, has held rallies in protest of President Marcos’s cuts; and

Whereas the PSC-CUNY believes that health care, like education, is a right shared by all, not just the well-to-do; now therefore be it

Resolved, that the PSC supports its fellow union workers in their battle against Health and Hospitals Corporation President Marcos’s proposed budget cuts; and be it further

Resolved, that the PSC supports the HHC’s mission of providing the highest quality health care to all New Yorkers regardless of their ability to pay.

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February 22, 2001

go to Resolution on:

WBAI

TIAA-CREF BENEFITS

Resolution ON WBAI

Whereas Pacifica Radio was founded in Berkeley, California in the 1940’s by radical writers and conscientious objectors who wanted a vehicle for speaking out for peace and social justice, but in recent years the Pacifica National Board has been increasingly dominated by corporate leaders who seem determined to centralize control and transform its local stations from grass-roots, community-based organizations into more commercial, middle-of-the-road stations that avoid controversy; and

Whereas in March, 1999, in a move that sparked huge community protests in Berkeley, the Pacifica National Board fired the station manager and a number of other producers at the local KPFA station; and

Whereas on December 22, 2000, the Pacifica Foundation fired WBAI’s station manager, Valerie van Isler, its program director, Bernard White, and the producer of the “Wake up Call” and United Electrical shop steward Sharan Harper and banned three volunteers from the premises; and

Whereas WBAI’s popular and outspoken reporter Amy Goodman, who is a member of AFTA, has filed a grievance against the Pacifica Foundation for efforts to censor her “Democracy Now” program; and

Whereas on Jan. 31, 2001, the award-winning Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez quit the “Democracy Now” program to protest the way that the Pacifica National Board “has been hijacked by a small clique that has more in common with modern-day corporate vultures than with working-class America,” adding that the board “has methodically sought to squash dissent throughout the network” (LA Times, Feb. 9, 2001); and

Whereas in a letter dated February 5, 2001, veteran WBAI programmer and union activist Mimi Rosenberg was fired from the station; now therefore be it

Resolved, that the PSC-CUNY reaffirms its commitment to free speech, the democratic need for a diversity of opinions, and union solidarity; and be it further

Resolved, that the PSC-CUNY vigorously protests the recent firings and censorship efforts at WBAI and calls upon the Pacifica National Board to stop stifling community-based stations that express radical voices so often muffled in today’s society.

Resolution ON TIAA-CREF BENEFITS

Resolved, that the Professional Staff Congress approves the concept that retirees in the TIAA-CREF system should receive an annual benefit similar to the COLA provided for retirees in the public retirement systems. The details of such a benefit for retirees in the TIAA-CREF system will necessarily differ from the COLA provided for retirees in the public systems because of the different character of these retirement plans.

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November 30, 2000

go to Resolution on:

Open Admissions
NYU Graduate Student Organizing
Pre-College Basic Skills Pilot Programs
John Jay

Resolution ON OPEN ADMISSIONS

Whereas CUNY's historic mission has been to provide a quality educational opportunity for all the residents of New York City, and

Whereas CUNY expanded this mandate with the initiation of Open Admissions in 1969. and

Whereas CUNY's policy of open access has given hundreds of thousands of students from all walks of life the opportunity for a first-class college education; and

Whereas CUNY graduates have made significant contributions to the City, State, nation and world; and

Whereas CUNY faculty have gained national prominence for their excellence in remedial and developmental education; and

Whereas these successes and innovations have been accomplished despite political attacks, imposition of tuition, implementation of artificial test barriers, and the wholesale reduction of faculty, staff, and budget; and

Whereas open access has been decimated by the Board of Trustees' 1999 actions which have effectively eliminated remediation at the senior colleges and created "remediation exit exams" at the community colleges; and

Whereas the attacks on open access threaten the health and vitality of the City's economy and the upward mobility of a significant segment of City residents: and

Whereas the attacks on open access have the ultimate impact of undermining CUNY, and diminishing its educational mission; now therefore be it

Resolved that PSC/CUNY establish an open access committee whose charge it will be to promote the historic mission of CUNY in providing remediation, open admissions, and quality education to all the residents of New York City at a free, affordable or subsidized level.

Presented by Haig Bohigian, Bill Crain, Susan DiRaimo

Resolution SUPPORTING NYU GRADUATE STUDENT ORGANIZING COMMITTEE AT NYU

      Whereas the Graduate Student Organizing Committee - United Auto Workers (GSOC-UAW) has been working to organize 1400 graduate teaching assistants at NYU since 1999; and

      Whereas the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), following a lengthy hearing, has ruled that the graduate teaching assistants are employees of NYU entitled to collectively bargain with their employer; and

      Whereas the NYU graduate teaching assistants voted, in an NLRB run election, by a margin of 619 to 551 in favor of joining GSOC-UAW; and

      Whereas NYU is resisting GSOC-UAW's demand that it commence negotiations, and is threatening a lengthy battle in the courts over the students' right to organize, and

      Whereas NYU asserts that it is consulting with the faculty in deterrnining how to respond to GSOC-UAW's demand to commence negotiations; and

      Whereas NYU is promoting the notion, among its faculty, that the unionization of graduate assistance and the unionization of instuctional staff in gcneral, would permit "intrusion by collective bargaining into areas of academic freedom"; and

      Whereas the experience of PSC-CUNY has shown that collective bargaining has served to promote, protect and expand academic freedom,

Therefore, be it resolved that the officers of PSC-CUNY are authorized to address a letter to the faculty of NYU, discussing the value of collective bargaining in the academic setting and the positive experience of PSC-CUNY, and calling upon the NYU faculty to support the unionization efforts of GSOC-UAW.

Resolution on Proposed Pre-College Basic Skills Pilot Programs

      Whereas research and experience have amply demonstrated the success of remedial courses offered in college programs and taught by college faculty, and

      Whereas research has shown that students in need of basic skills instruction required for successful college study strengthen these skills most effectively in the context of college study, taking college level courses, taught by college faculty, in a college environment, and

      Whereas the transfer of remedial courses and programs away from the academic divisions could limit the ability of those divisions to provide integrated academic content in CUNY's community colleges and senior colleges with associate degree programs, and

    Whereas the removal of such courses and programs from the academic divisions deprives students of instruction by the highly qualified, expert professional faculty of the academic divisions, and

      Whereas instituting Pre-College Basic Skills Programs threatens to further erode thepolicy of Open Admissions and its historic tenet of democratic access to public higher education,

Be it resolved, that the Professional Staff Congress urges the continued support of remedial courses and programs within the academic divisions of the colleges and opposes establishment of the proposed pilot programs to be offered through divisions of continuing education.

Presented by Anne Friedman/EC/UFS

Resolution 0N JOHN JAY

Whereas John Jay is the lowest funded senior college based on FTE.

Be it resolved that the PSC calls on CUNY administration and the Board of Trustees to rectify this inquiry in no more than three years, and as a immediate step to provide for emergency funding to secure all existing substitute lines for the Spring 2001 semester.

Submitted by Haig Bohigian, Chapter Chair.

Delegate Assembly Resolutions

September 28, 2000

go to Resolution on:

Fair Employment
Lori Berenson

Resolution ON FAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICE IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Approved unanimously

Whereas throughout the country colleges and universities and their contractors routinely violate the basic rights of their employees, threatening all of our rights, and

Whereas a campaign has begun, endorsed by the AFT, the AAUP, other unions, and various student groups to establish a code of fair employment practices for colleges and universities,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that PSC/CUNY endorses the code of fair employment practices and the November 16^th hearing to promote it, and urges its members to attend the hearing, encourage their colleagues and students to do so, and participate in the campaign for basic employment rights for all higher education employees.

Presented by Executive Committee,
Queens College Chapter, PSC

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Resolution FOR LORI BERENSON

Approved unanimously

Whereas Lori Berenson, an American citizen, has been illegally imprisoned by Peruvian authorities for more than four years, charged with treason and terrorism, and denied the right of due process, and

Whereas the Peruvian authorities recently admitted that Lori Berenson was not guilty of these charges, and

Whereas the Peruvian government has repeatedly given false information to the media concerning Lori Berenson’s case, and

Whereas Lori Berenson is again being forced to submit to an unfair trial in a civilian court with inadequate legal counsel and under extreme duress, and

Whereas the admittance of non guilt on the part of the Peruvian authorities demands her immediate release, and

Whereas Lori Berenson’s father and our colleague, a longstanding active member of PSC/CUNY and an outstanding faculty member of Baruch College, was devoted to his students and to open access, but was forced to retire early in order to seek Lori’s freedom, and

Whereas Mark Berenson has asked for our assistance and monetary support,

Therefore Be It Resolved that the Delegate Assembly of PSC/CUNY call upon President William Jefferson Clinton, Vice President Albert Gore, the Congress of the United States of America, the Organization of American States, and all other interested parties to seek the immediate release of Lori Berenson, and

Therefore Be It Further Resolved that PSC/CUNY donate $5,000.00 to the Free Lori Berenson Committee for the purpose of assisting Mark Berenson and Rhoda Berenson with the defense of their daughter, legal fees, air fare and other expenses.

Presented by
Sylvia Rackow, Delegate, Baruch College
Cecelia McCall, Secretary, PSCcuny

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UNION DEFENSE FUND

A STATE OF EMERGENCY IN CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS

►Reaffirmation of the Resolution on Sales Tax of Laboratory Tests

Resolution to Support the Colombia Teachers' Strike October 12th

Resolution in Opposition to Student Test Scores in Faculty Evaluation Files

Resolution for PSC Racial Diversity Advocate

Resolution IN SUPPORT OF “JOURNEY OF HOPE”

A STATE OF EMERGENCY IN
CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS