PSC Delegate Assembly 9/10/20 - notes

These are notes from last year. Please see the “Delegate Assembly: Resolutions and Notes” page for more on how DA resolutions and notes will be shared on this blog.

PSC Delegate Assembly

September 10, 2020

Agenda

This is to inform you that the PSC Delegate Assembly will hold an online meeting on Thursday, 9/10/2020 at 6:30p.m.

 

Draft Agenda

 

I.               Approvals                                                                            6:30-6.45

·       Agenda

·       Minutes

 

II.             President’s Report and Discussion                                      6:45-7.45

 

·       Fall Campaign

·       Bargaining

·       Proposed Constitutional Amendment: Adding a Committee on Anti-Racism  

 

 

III.           Administrative Items                                                           7:45-8.15

A.    Treasurer’s Report – S. Persinger

·       Monthly Financial Report – July

 

B.    Interim Executive Director’s Report – N. Zauderer

                             

IV.           Committee Reports                                                              8.15-8.25

                                     CAP

V.           Resolutions                                                                        8.25-8.45

·       Vote on Ratification of Proposed Constitutional Amendment on Membership

 

VI.             New Business

 

VII.           Old Business

                                                                       

VIII.         Adjournment                                                                           8.45                                                                                                                                                           

 

                             

Meeting Notes

Yellow highlight = action item

All action items

• Keep an eye open and let us know about violations in safety or concerns!

• Barbara: email Ida Cheng with any info you have on class size increases (icheng@pscmail.org)

• Send the letter to Cuomo! Tell Cuomo to tax the rich https://www.psc-cuny.org/tax-rich

• To sign up to attend the PRESS CONFERENCE on SEPTEMBER 16 at HUNTER CAMPUS SCHOOLS, please use the following Google Form: https://forms.gle/ijRDhDR5zJhPwyc1A

• Jen Gaboury: strategy to connect with alumni - keep an eye out for call to share names

• Add your support for the #NewDeal4CUNY https://actionnetwork.org/forms/we-need-a-newdeal4cuny

• Luke: political action - need to elect Dems to have an environment where we have a chance to change things for CUNY: voter calls via AFT - sign up here: https://www.mobilize.us/aft/event/317621/

• And, PSC phonebank for voting: https://cutt.ly/pscswingstate2020

• Great Welfare Fund opportunity for catastrophic medical insurance - FT and PT - and family too. Look on website - Mercer: https://www.psc-cuny.org/clarion/new-medical-benefit

Barbara Bowen:

Ongoing urgent issues with campus openings & safety challenges [i missed the campus name]..turns over to Andrea

Various motions to alter the agenda, they didn’t pass, agenda voted on unaltered and accepted. Various resolutions might be raised under new business.

Minutes from 8/20 voted on and accepted.

President’s report (BB):

• Introduced parliamentarian, Richard Rosenblatt

• Reopenings: 

• only 4% of classes online and few staff, but constant challenges - fought back at York and Bronx (??)

• Brookdale residential Hall, Hunter - 4 HEOs. issues happening right now.

• Biggest issue is Hunter College Campus Schools - about 175 members there.

• Calling own building inspector in because CUNY wouldn’t agree to a mutual one.

• Keep an eye open and let us know about violations in safety or concerns!

• August 26 action

• 13,000 views on Facebook and several thousands on website feed.

• CUNY made progress on about 7 of 10 demands but definitely did not meet all. 

• So, all options are on the table

• Impact: only 4% of classes being on campus is because of psc watchfulness; adjuncts being rehired

• Options

• Andrea will report on new deal for cuny

• Ongoing legal issues being contested

• Moving forward - need to build capacity, build power. Did some but need much more.

• Need to fight campaigns

• Build structural power: organizing, one-on-one convos and new phone banking script; think about protecting dues by talking to members about alternative dues collection if we do go on strike. [Kagan noted that in 2005 TWA actually had about a year before they lost dues check off]

• Big 4 issues:

• Safety - no return w/o safe return. Keith Okrosy - mentioned divide and conquer strategy of asking folks one by one about return.

• Speedup - increased in class sizes. Medgar: 26 cap to 42! [natoli] CCNY math from 35 to 75; [Lorraine] LaGCC:  26 -> 36-38. Hunter enrollment went up 3% and the budget was cut 20%; “Math at CCNY is the one money making class in the Science Division. They can warehouse students. The jumbo agreement is 80 students. At 80 they pay for two classes as per a campus agreement, so they cynically made the class 75 or in many cases, 79 students.” Layoffs of CAs means HEO workload goes up. Concern that CUNY will seize this opportunity to make this the default.

• Adjunct layoffs 

• I missed issue 4??

• Mobilization

• Lots and lots of phone calls! Phone banking blitz - need 30,000 people. 

• Do we need a SAV at each campus?

• Barbara: email Ida Cheng with any info you have on class size increases (icheng@pscmail.org)

• No confidence in Chancellor and BoT as well as conversations about SAV

• Compensate part-time faculty/staff - think of concrete strategies for how to do this.

• Hunter college campus massive mobilization - basically whole chapter is SAV; 80% of faculty wrote individual letters to chancellor. Suggestion that they could go on strike and we support them - doesn’t have to be all of CUNY.

Andrea: 

• Leg report progress, Andrea Stewart Cousins; even Cuomo making some sounds.

• Send the letter to Cuomo! Tell Cuomo to tax the rich https://www.psc-cuny.org/tax-rich

• Review of New Deal and its features: mental health counselors, faculty and staff, infrastructure. $5b legislation.

• To sign up to attend the PRESS CONFERENCE on SEPTEMBER 16 at HUNTER CAMPUS SCHOOLS, please use the following Google Form: https://forms.gle/ijRDhDR5zJhPwyc1A

• Jen Gaboury: strategy to connect with alumni - keep an eye out for call to share names

• Add your support for the #NewDeal4CUNY https://actionnetwork.org/forms/we-need-a-newdeal4cuny

• Luke: political action - need to elect Dems to have an environment where we have a chance to change things for CUNY: voter calls via AFT - sign up here: https://www.mobilize.us/aft/event/317621/

• And, PSC phonebank for voting: https://cutt.ly/pscswingstate2020

Barbara - Anti-Racist Committee proposal

• One suggestion to change it to anti-oppression committee - fails overwhelmingly

• Discussion in favor of the proposal - reminder that anti-racist work can’t be relegated to this committee and also that we need structural change, e.g. recognizing how Medgar Evers is treated differently within PSC.

Sharon - Treasurer’s report

• Discussion by health & safety and by Cecilia to have funding/staff line for anti-racism committee.

Naomi - interim exec director’s report

• Nothing to report

Rosa - CAP report

• Two hour meeting with dozens of testimonials to loss of work, anxiety, and stress. And, frustration with lack of info

• Two adjuncts reported they’ve been told that they’re on a do-not-hire list - !!! - that is cuny-wide. First Rosa or anyone else had heard of it.

• Urges union to act immediately.

Vote on constitutional amendment - passed with three-fourths bar.

New Business

• Kagan resolution on paying adjunct dues - debate on whether it’s a constitutional amendment or a resolution; rests on use of public dues??

• Other proposals are that we set up an independent voluntary fund.

• Steve London: info on new medical benefit: Great Welfare Fund opportunity for catastrophic medical insurance - FT and PT - and family too. Look on website - Mercer: https://www.psc-cuny.org/clarion/new-medical-benefit

Documents referenced in the agenda

Delegate Assembly – Draft Minutes August 20, 2020

 

 

NOTE: The DA meeting was conducted remotely, via Zoom webinar. 

Reminder that only Delegates and designated alternates could vote.

 

                    I.                        A.  Approval of Agenda for DA

MOTION: To accept the agenda. (Motion: J. Greenbaum; Seconded)

 

MOTION: Proposed amendment to the agenda. Move resolutions (constitutional amendment) to item number 3. (Motion: H.Clarke; Seconded)

APPROVED

 

B.  Minutes

`                           MOTION:  To accept the July 23rd 2020 DA Minutes (Motion: S.Shiedlower; Seconded)

Corrections: Janet Winter not listed as present. 

       APPROVED

       C.  Code of Conduct

Joan Greenbaum introduced a proposed code of conduct for future delegate assembly meetings. 

MOTION: To adopt code of conduct. (Motion; J.Greenbaum.  No second needed)

APPROVED

                  II.                        President’s report and discussion:

 

President Bowen reported on the following issues:

 

·       PSC Action on Reopening Colleges & Hunter College Campus School

·       Urgent Bargaining Issues

·       Response to PSC 8/26 demands

·       Mobilization before & after 8/26

·       Legal Counsel on PSC Constitution Article

 

Dierdre Brill, Director of Organizing, also gave an update on the ‘30,000 conversations’ mobilization campaign. 

 

                III.                        Resolutions

 

Proposed PSC constitutional amendment regarding ARTICLE III on Membership (in red):

 

f. Notwithstanding Article III Section 5 (a-d) above, a member who is an incumbent Chapter or General Officer, Delegate or Alternate Delegate to the Delegate Assembly or to affiliates who is separated from employment with a PSC-represented bargaining unit employer for any reason except retirement (in which case Article III, Section 2.b.iv applies) or through a contractual disciplinary proceeding, may continuously retain such office and all membership rights in their previous chapter through the six-month period, either September 1 to the end of February or March 1 through August 31 , following their separation. A member may continue to hold office through the aforementioned six-month period provided dues equal to one-half the annual amount of dues paid during the final year on payroll shall be paid directly to the Professional Staff Congress in one installment.  

f. g. No salaried employee of the union shall be permitted to hold Membership in the Professional Staff Congress, except that this exclusion shall not apply to elected General Officers.  

 

 

Motion to accept the proposed constitutional change on membership.  (Motion: J.Wills; Seconded) APPROVED

 

               IV.                        Administrative Items

a.      Treasurer’s Report — S. Persinger

Monthly Financial Report — June

              Income: $1,508,000

              Expenses: $1,707,000

              Surplus: ($199,000)

 

Year to Date (10 months):

              Income: $16,741,000

              Expenses:  $16,065,000

              Surplus: $676,000

 

MOTION: To accept the June 2020 financial statement. (Motion: S.Sheidlower; Seconded)

APPROVED

 

b.      Interim Executive Director’s Report – N. Zauderer

Two new staff members have started for the PSC - Denyse Gregoire as Membership Records Coordinator and Samantha Sherry as Membership Systems Administrator. 

                 V.                        New business

·       Irregular Presidential Searches – F.Salek

 

               VI.                        Old business

 

             VII.                        Adjournment 9.23pm

 

MOTION: Adjourn (Motion I.Hansen; Seconded) 

APPROVED

Proposed constitutional amendment - sent out by B. Bowen [excerpt from email below]:

“The Executive Council offers the language below as an amendment to Article VIII, Section 3, by adding a new subsection e.  For your reference, I have included the whole of Section 3 below, with the proposed new language in bold.  

Article VIII. SECTION 3. The following shall be the standing committees of the Delegate Assembly:

a. Elections Committee. This committee shall draft rules and requirements for elections and the filling of vacancies to be considered for adoption by the Delegate Assembly, conduct elections of the Professional Staff Congress, review and make recommendations to the Delegate Assembly regarding disputed elections, and conduct referenda authorized under Article XIII, Section 4.

b. Publications and Public Relations Committee. This committee shall make recommendations relating to the publications and public relations of the union. The Legislative Representative shall serve as an ex-officio member of this committee.

c. Committee for the Part-Time Instructional Staff. This committee shall be responsible for the consideration of problems and the recommendations of policies related to the part-time instructional staff. The chairperson of this committee shall be the Vice-President for the Part-Time Instructional Staff.

d. Committee for Library Faculty. This committee shall be responsible for the consideration of concerns and the recommendation of policies related to library faculty employed at all units of the City University.

e. Anti-Racism Committee:  This committee shall be responsible for recommending policies and actions that will empower the PSC to contribute to dismantling the structures, practices and ideology of racism and to achieving racial justice within the City University, the union, the city and beyond.”

 

Please see the text, in red, for an amendment that was successfully proposed at a Delegate Assembly meeting on 8/20/20, and will be voted on at the Delegate Assembly on 9/10/20:

 

f. Notwithstanding Article III Section 5 (a-d) above, a member who is an incumbent Chapter or General Officer, Delegate or Alternate Delegate to the Delegate Assembly or to affiliates who is separated from employment with a PSC-represented bargaining unit employer for any reason except retirement (in which case Article III, Section 2.b.iv applies) or through a contractual disciplinary proceeding, may continuously retain such office and all membership rights in their previous chapter through the six-month period, either September 1 to the end of February or March 1 through August 31 , following their separation. A member may continue to hold office through the aforementioned six-month period provided dues equal to one-half the annual amount of dues paid during the final year on payroll shall be paid directly to the Professional Staff Congress in one installment.  

f. g. No salaried employee of the union shall be permitted to hold Membership in the Professional Staff Congress, except that this exclusion shall not apply to elected General Officers.