The 2026-27 Enacted State Budget provided significant statutory reforms to the state’s Tier 6 Optional Retirement Program and pension plans. The changes are as follows:

  Optional Retirement Program (ORP) Members

UUP’s advocacy was instrumental in securing the inclusion of the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) as part of the state’s Tier 6 Reform. The state will now provide an additional 1% contribution to ORP member accounts, and the employee minimum contributions are adjusted to align with the changes to the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) employee contributions.

 NYSTRS (TRS) Members

The retirement age will be reduced by five years, from 63 to 58, without penalties, for members with 30 years of service.

 NYSLRS (ERS) Members

For members in this pension system, the employee contribution bands have been altered to reduce the amount individuals have to contribute towards their pension. The changes are in the chart below.

 Overtime

For members eligible for overtime, the amount of pensionable overtime in all systems will increase. For members of ERS and TRS, the cap will increase from the current $22,500 to $30,000 and be indexed annually at 3%.

Save the Date
Fall Kickoff Reception
Please join us to celebrate the start of the academic year with a carnival themed
reception with hotdogs, popcorn, cotton candy, ice cream novelties and lemonade!
Corey Union Steps – Wednesday, August 26 at 12 – 2pm
Rain location: Corey Union, First Floor
A collaborative SUNY event

UUP Ratification Process

UUP members should have received a postcard in the mail from MK elections as well as an email.  They both contained information on the ratification process and the information needed to vote. Please contact MK Elections if you have any questions at 203-403-8401.

UUP 101 – Who is UUP?

The webinar will be held on:  
Wednesday, August 19 from 11:30am – 1:00pm
Wednesday, September 16 from 5:00pm -6:30pm
To join the discussion, please register using the link below.

https://forms.gle/tEUUdHReuwn6QpME9

Members Only Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Clinics on the following dates:
Wednesday, August 5^th, from 5:00pm to 6:30pm via zoom
Monday, August 24^th  from 11:30am – 1:00pm via zoom
Wednesday, September 9^th from 5:00pm to 6:30pm via zoom

To attend one of the virtual Members Only Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) 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 are able to provide maximum assistance to attendees. Registration will close 48 hours prior to the virtual clinic. Webinar login information will be provided prior to the clinic to all who register.

Retirement Benefits Workshops Part 1 & 2:

The pre-retirement webinar workshops, part 1 – (Healthcare/Medicare) and part 2 – (Union Benefits: dental/vision) will take place online on
Tuesday, August 18th for part 1 at 12:00pm register: https://forms.gle/UxZrMMHfbiwPmCX78
Thursday, August 20^th for part 2 at 12:00pm.register https://forms.gle/UxZrMMHfbiwPmCX78
Tuesday, September 22^nd  at 7:00pm for part 1 registerhttps://forms.gle/4PSoAjmaQo5t7VCi8
Thursday September 24^th at 7:00pm for part 2. register https://forms.gle/4PSoAjmaQo5t7VCi8
You can register online at uupinfor.org using the calendar

The new BJ’s application form for 2026 is on the UUP Cortland Website under member resources.

UUP Ratification and Voting Process for the contract has begun…….
Members should have received an email from MK Elections with the individualized access code and a link to the online ballot (to members eligible to vote*). Electronic voting began at 9 am on July 10 and will close at 5 pm on July 27, 2026.

For those of you who haven’t received a postcard/email and believe you should have, call MK Elections at 203-403-8401.

*Active members of UUP, who were members in good standing as of June 4, 2026 (the date the State/UUP tentative agreement was reached), are eligible to vote.

UUP Ratification and Voting Process

UUP uses a union company, MK Election Services, to administer our ratification process. Any active member of UUP in good standing as of June 4, 2026, will be eligible to cast a ballot in the contract ratification vote.

MK Elections will be mailing ratification postcards to members who are eligible to vote on July 7-9, 2026. These postcards are member-specific; each postcard will have an individualized access code that will allow that member to vote.

On July 10, MK Elections will send an email with the information in the postcard—including the individualized access code and a link to the online ballot—to members eligible to vote.  Electronic voting will begin at 9 am on July 10 and close at 5 pm on July 27, 2026.  

Prior to the mailing/email from MK Elections, UUP will send an email with information about the ratification process to our broadest email distribution list.  That email will also alert members to a new update on UUP’s Members Only web portal.

Lastly, for those who don’t receive a postcard/email and believe they should have, please call MK Elections at 203-403-8401