Unions Rebel against second-class status

2. Unions Rebel against second-class status • When Lou Cammarosano started teaching in 1956, members of the profession barely met second-class citizen status. "Forget having any preparation time. Teachers did not have time off for lunch. Principals could call a meeting at any time in the morning or evening and, to keep your job, you had to go," said Cammarosano, who taught for 40 years in the Harrison district in Westchester County. "We were to be seen and not heard."

3. Original Unions • NYSTA – an NEA affiliate • United Teachers of NY – an AFT affiliate Thomas Hobart Al Shanker

4. Unions Merge • NYSTA and UTNY agree to merge creating a new union NYSUT. • Part of the agreement was to disaffiliate with the NEA.

5. NEA NY • NEA set up a rival organization in NYS but it did not grow like NYSUT

6. NYSUT Grows • NYSUT membership continues to grow as it looks to organize professionals in and out of the field of education. • SRPs – School Related Professionals • UUP – United University Profesors • School Nurses

7. NEA Merger • Reunited • In 2006 NEA NY and NYSUT agree to merge • NYSUT agrees to affiliate with the NEA

8. Challenges • When NYSUT was formed in the early 1970s, the political climate was treacherous for teachers. • A three-year freeze in state aid led to severe budget cuts. Striking teachers were being jeered and jailed; the Legislature had imposed a 2-for-1 pay loss penalty and one-year probation for striking public employees. • In 1970, the state Legislature overwhelmingly approved a bill freezing district budgets and teaching salaries in those districts defeating school budgets.

9. Wake-up Call • Although Gov. Rockefeller vetoed the bill because it negated teachers' rights under the Taylor Law, it was a preview of things to come. In 1971, the Legislature approved the Jerabek bills - which jumped teachers' probation to five years, abolished the minimum salary law, mandated urinalysis testing and prohibited school districts from granting sabbatical leaves to teachers. • For many, that was the wake-up call for a radical idea: political action

10. VOTE-COPE • NYSTS – VOTE: Voice of Teachers in Education • UTNY – COPE: Committee on Political Education • Both political arms were funded by voluntary contributions - not dues - and both supported voter registration drives and pro-education candidates in local and state elections.

11. VOTE-COPE VOTE/COPE makes NYSUT one of the most powerful political forces in the state of New York.

12. NYSUT’s Accomplishments • In 1975, passage of a law guaranteeing tenure transfer rights and a maximum two-year probation period for teachers who switched districts • In 1977, a law providing for significantly enhanced enforcement powers for the state Public Employment Relations Board • In1978, repeal of the Taylor Law's mandatory penalty of one year's probation for any public employee who went on strike. • In1982, the state legislature passed the Triborough Amendment to the Taylor Law. The Triborough Amendment required school districts to honor the entire contract until a new agreement was reached • Permanent annual COLA in TRS & ERS pensions • Pension Equity – a half-dozen early retirement incentives; pension supplementation and health insurance protection for retirees. • Creation of teacher centers (1984) and the mentor-intern program (1986)

13. VOTE-COPEprovides rebatesto locals Of all the VOTE/COPE monies collected: • 20% gets rebated for local assistance programs

14. Rebates may be used for: • School Budget Vote Campaigns • Support Candidates for Local School Board • General local union political action activities (voter registration, voter education, etc.)

15. A VOTE-COPEcontribution to fit all budgets… Based on payroll deduction over 26 paychecks Per PaycheckTotal Contribution $2.00 * $ 52.00 * $4.00 $104.00 $5.00$130.00 $6.00$156.00 *New Teachers

16. Don’t be the weak link… • Support our political action fund. • Donate to VOTE/COPE