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!
2022-23 Calendar
Fall 2022 Executive Board Meetings – UUW-324
Wednesday, September 14, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 12, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 9, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday, December 7, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Spring 2023 Executive Board Meetings – UUW-324
Wednesday, February 8, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 8, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 12, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 3, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – May Thank You Luncheon
Fall Frolic – Mandela Room
Wednesday, October 26, 4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
University-Wide Benefits Fair – Mandela Room
Thursday, November 17, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Fall 2022 Labor Management Meetings (Only Officers Attend) AD-606
Monday, September 26, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Monday, October 24, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Monday, November 28, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (President Attending)
Monday, December 26, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Spring 2023 Labor Management Meetings (Only Officers Attend)-AD-606
Monday, January 23, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Monday, February 27, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Monday, March 27, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Monday, April 24, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (President Attending)
Monday, May 22, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Monday, June 26, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Monday, July 24, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Monday, August 28, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Beat the Winter Blues, Wednesday
March 15, 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. Mandela Room
UUP Delegate Assembly Meetings
October 14-15, 2022 – Fall Delegate Assembly Meeting, Albany Hilton, Albany, NY
April 21-22, 2023 – Spring Delegate Assembly Meeting, Crowne Plaza-Desmond Hotel, Albany, NY
Negotiations Virtual Town Halls
Colleagues,
Good news! Contract negotiations between UUP and the State are set to begin this Friday (5/27/22).
UUP will be presenting our conceptual proposals—an overview of all the areas of the contract that we intend to bargain in this round—to the State this Friday. These proposals were developed by the Negotiations Team using feedback from members collected via the negotiations survey and virtual town halls, and approved by Chapter leaders on the Negotiations Committee. The proposals will be posted to the UUP Members Only section of the website by 5 pm on Tuesday, May 31.
We want members to know about UUP’s ambitious bargaining agenda—what we’re fighting for and why it matters. UUP Chief Negotiator Bret Benjamin and Counsel to the President Elizabeth Hough will be hosting four members-only virtual town halls on June 8 (12 PM & 4 PM) and June 9 (12 PM & 7 PM) to discuss the conceptual proposals. Please join us for one of the town halls by registering here. We ask that you only register for one session so that all members have an opportunity to actively participate.
Thank you to all who shared ideas for negotiations priorities with Bret and the team. With your input, I believe the team has developed a balanced list of priorities that will benefit all UUP members. Please stay tuned for additional opportunities to support the negotiations team statewide and on your campus.
In solidarity,
Frederick E. Kowal, Ph.D.
President
United University Professions
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.
Department Representatives
The UUP’s Binghamton Chapter is looking to expand its Department Representatives (Reps). As we prepare for contract negotiations, we must have an active and engaged Department Rep System to communicate essential information to and from our union members. It’s a simple way to take an active role in supporting your Union. Please consider becoming a Representative for your department.
Department Reps serve as the “face” of UUP to members they represent and are the Chapter’s “heart and soul.” Some other responsibilities include:
- Become better informed on contractional obligations
- Improve your working conditions by alerting UUP Chapter Officers of concerns regarding contract violations or other problems in your department.
- Facilitate two-way communication between members and chapter leaders.
- Attend Department Rep and General membership meetings to raise concerns, request information, and bring information back to your leaders.
- Have conversations with non-members about becoming union members and encourage members to become active in UUP.
- Help to ensure UUP signage on campus in every building/department.
To become a Department Rep., complete the Department Rep Contact Information Form.
In solidarity,
Alan
Come advocate for SUNY funding
Come visit the UUP table to get information about the need for additional SUNY funding in this year’s state budget. UUP is fighting for state support to Binghamton University and other SUNY institutions.
Where: Spine A1, located just outside the University Union
When: Wednesday, March 2nd from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Hear from UUP President Fred Kowal at 11:15 am
Unions + Contracts 101: a UUP lunchtime reading group
Interested in learning more about what unions are? Curious about the Contract as we move into negotiations this spring? Join us for Unions + Contracts 101, a lunchtime reading group.
This lunchtime book club will first focus on what unions are, how we can organize to build member-based power in UUP as we move into contract negotiations. The second part will focus on what our union contract is and why it is so important. Many of our members have likely meant to crack its pages to understand their rights as workers, but perhaps felt daunted by its legal jargon and length. Many aspects of our daily work lives are dictated by this contract, and we are on the verge of entering a new round of negotiations between UUP and New York State, so it is important for UUP members to have familiarity with this document in order to advocate for ourselves in the workplace and in upcoming negotiations.
It has three goals:
1) We can protect ourselves and our colleagues better when we know our current rights.
2) We are better able to gain wins in contract negotiations when our members have read and understand their current contract.
3) It is a chance for us to gather, break bread, and share social time with one another over lunch.
Please fill out this form no later than 2/9 to sign up to reserve your lunches and allow time to place orders for books. This program is only available to UUP members. Questions? Contact Claire Kovacs.
All meetings will take place from noon-1 pm (location TBD). All participants will be provided lunch, a paper copy of the current Contract, and copies of the three books generously provided by UUP.
SCHEDULE
February 16: Michael Yates, Why Unions Matter, Chapters 1 + 4
March 2: Jane McAlevey, No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age, Chapters 1 + 2
March 30: Drescher, Scheuerman, and Steen, United University Professions: Pioneering in Higher Education Unionism, Chapter 6 + Introduction and Overview of the UUP/NYS Contract (with Chris Sielaff, Labor Relation Specialist)
April 20: Drescher et al, Chapter 7 + Conversation about Selected Contract Sections (with Chris Sielaff, LRS; exact sections TBD by participants)
May 18: McAlevey, Chapters 4 + 7
2021 UUP Salary Compression Analysis and Distribution Message from President Fred Kowal
The 2016-2022 NYS/UUP contract established four annual salary pools, each one-half percent (0.5%) of total basic annual salaries at each campus, for distribution to eligible UUP-represented employees to address salary compression. Generally, salary compression exists when the salaries of more experienced employees have not increased sufficiently relative to the salaries of colleagues hired later. Click here for the full message.
Mandatory COVID-19 Testing
Memorandum of Understanding
Between
The State University of New York
And
United University Professions
Regarding
Mandatory COVID 19 Testing of Employees In the Professional Services Negotiating Unit
Due to the unprecedented public health crisis presented by the COVID 19 pandemic and the critical need to quickly identify and control the spread of COVID 19 infections on state-operated SUNY campuses, and in the best interest of the entire SUNY community, the State University of New York and the United University Professions hereby reach the following agreement: Click here for the full text of the agreement.