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Author Archives: binghamton
Tentative Contract Briefing Sessions
Dear UUP Members,
UUP’s Negotiations Team will be at Binghamton University to present, explain, and answer questions about the new agreement, which state and union negotiators reached in June. The briefing is scheduled for July 20 from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in LH 14. This briefing is for UUP members only. Seating is limited in LH 14, so please register HERE as soon as possible.
UUP will also host state-wide virtual briefing sessions so that all members will have an opportunity to learn about the proposed agreement. Forums are set for July 18 (4 p.m. to 6 p.m.); July 19 (3 p.m. to 5 p.m.) and July 26 (noon to 2 p.m.).
UUP members can click HERE to register for the forums.
The tentative agreement includes across-the-board raises (2% in 2022, 3% for 2023 through 2025); on-base retention awards for full-time employees at seven and 12 years of service; per-course minimum payment increases for contingents (to $5,500 or $6,000 per three-credit course depending on campus designation); and living wage expenses to raise minimum salaries for UUP’s lowest-paid academics and professionals.
UUP members will vote electronically to ratify the agreement. Voting opens Aug. 10 and ends Aug. 24. Full details about the contract and ratification vote are available on UUP’s Members Only page, HERE.
In Solidarity,
Brendan
Brendan McGovern
UUP President, Binghamton Chapter
UUP – United University Professions
Contract Block Party
Chapter Election Candidate Bios
To better inform our membership, candidates for the 2023-2025 election cycle were offered the opportunity to provide a short paragraph or two about themself and why they think they would best fit the role they are running for.
President and Delegate
Brendan McGovern
Vice President for Academics and Delegate
Benita Roth
Vice President for Professionals and Delegate
Claire L. Kovacs
Treasurer
Alan Wang (Write in candidate)
Officer for Contingents
Renee C. Andrews
Byron Gittens
Academic Delegate Candidate Bios
Carl Gelderloos
Professional Delegate Candidate Bios
William Bellingham
Patrick Doyle
Lisa Gallagher
Courtney Ignarri
Donald Kunkel
Stuart L’Hommedieu
Troy Norton
Andy Morris (Write in candidate)
Casey Slocum
Alan Wang
Weather Related Absences
Linked below is the November 15, 2022, Weather-Related Absences memo sent by human resources. UUP recommends that employees should be safe during hazardous weather conditions. You should work with your supervisors to ensure time is charged appropriately or, when appropriate, work remotely. Click here for the memo.
Membership Organizing Institute
Membership Organizing Institute – the UUP Worksite Organizing Institute (WOI) in February 2023. UUP has worked closely with NYSUT to develop an opportunity for member organizers to receive tools and training to recruit new UUP members on campus. Member organizers participating in this one-semester opportunity will be paid a stipend for this work.
Participants will be trained on how to have effective organizing conversations with new hires and provided with worksite lists so they can contact non-members and give them a chance to join our union. Training will tentatively take place at the following locations on the following dates (we are in the process of securing exact locations within these regions):
Binghamton: Feb. 6 – 7
Albany: Feb. 8 – 9
Stony Brook: Feb. 15 – 16
Buffalo: Feb. 15 – 16
The training, technology, and guidance will be provided by NYSUT regional organizers and supported by UUP Organizers. You can sign up today by clicking here.
This program will support 25 UUP member organizers statewide and will run through April 16th. The member organizers will have the opportunity to visit colleagues at their own campus and colleagues at other SUNY campuses (except for Buffalo Center, which will only be visited by Buffalo Center members). To assist with proper Article 24 notification, Chapter Presidents and Labor Relation Specialists (LRSs) will be provided with the names of any members visiting non-members at the campus before their visit.
Space is limited! Registration will close on Dec. 16. Let me know if you have any questions.
Pre-Retirement Workshops
Our popular monthly Pre-Retirement Workshops will be offered this month on December 13th and 15th.
Part 1 will cover Healthcare /Medicare
Tuesday, December 13, noon-1 pm
Part 2 will cover Union benefits for dental/vision
Thursday, December 15, noon -1 pm
We split the workshop over two days so we could cover the topics in an hour, as there is much information to digest. Part 1 deals with Medicare and trading in sick days to pay for health insurance, and Part 2 deals with the available benefits, such as Vision and Dental care, that staying a member of the union provides.
It is essential to register now or at least a day before the workshop (Monday, December 12). Lisa usually sends the meeting Zoom link the morning of the workshop to the email address under which you register. Click here to register.
These workshops are not recorded due to privacy concerns and because some information may change.
Professional Development for UUP-represented employees
Virtual Student Debt Clinics – September Dates
Over 12 million people in the United States struggle to make their monthly student loan payments, and millions see economic and personal opportunities pass as they prioritize paying down their debt. Does this sound like you or someone you know?
Many of these people may qualify for free federal programs to help reduce their monthly payments and eventually lead to student loan forgiveness, but these lifeline programs are significantly under-enrolled. To help our members access these programs, United University Professions and the American Federation of Teachers are proud to host a Student Debt Clinic to provide information on how to enroll in Income-Driven Repayment plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
We will be offering virtual Members Only Student Debt Clinics on the following dates:
Wednesday, September 14, 2022, from 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM via Zoom.
Wednesday, September 28, 2022, from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM via Zoom.
To attend one of the virtual Members Only Student Debt Clinics, you must pre-register here: http://go.aft.org/StudentDebtClinicRSVP. From the “student debt clinic” drop-down menu, please select the UUP clinic that you are interested in attending – they are labeled “UUP [Virtual Student Debt Clinic] [date] [time].” In the affiliate field, type in the full name of our local (United University Professions), and it will autofill after a few keystrokes.
Registration is first come, first serve, and we must cap attendance for a single clinic at 125 participants to ensure that we can provide maximum assistance to attendees. Registration will close 48 hours before the virtual clinic. Webinar login information will be provided before the clinic to all who register. [If you can’t make one of these virtual clinics, don’t worry – we’re planning on offering them every payday. If you want to help host a chapter-specific virtual clinic, please let us know!]
Managing your student loan debt is the first step in taking on the inequities plaguing our higher education system. We look forward to seeing you at the virtual Student Debt Clinic and working together to find a collective solution to the problems of student debt and college affordability!
Register now!
Beat the Winter Blues 2022
Have the cold, gray days got you down?
United University Professions (UUP)
Binghamton Chapter
invites faculty and professional staff to
“Beat the Winter Blues”
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Mandela Room
University Union
Join us for hot hors d’oeuvres, mini pastries,
cold beer, wine, soda, water and good company.
Music will be provided by the Harpur Jazz Conspiracy Quartet.
There will be a short discussion of membership issues
as part of the festivities.
This is a member only event, membership cards will be available at the door to join UUP.
Please RSVP to Linda O’Branski, Chapter Assistant by
Wednesday, March 23 at 777-4382 or email uup@binghamton.edu.