Peter DiGregorio, center, is resigning as FA treasurer effective June 8 and received a thank you from FA President Dante Morelli, right, and FA Vice President Courtney Brewer, left, at this year’s Member Recognition and Celebration Luncheon. (photo by Victoria Pendzick)

The highlight of every academic year is Commencement. The day brings great celebration for our students and their families. Commencement is also the result of our labor that we perform on behalf of students.

When someone asks me “What is the Faculty Association,” I always say the Faculty Association is the proud union that performs labor for the entire student experience at the college. From the moment a student starts thinking about college and all the way up to and beyond graduation: that’s our labor and we get to see that showcased every year at Commencement, the School of Nursing pinning ceremony, ESL graduation, veterans graduation and Honors Convocation.

While Commencement caps our work each academic year, the FA is working throughout the summer on several items, including securing a fair contract for our members and welcoming a new treasurer. Our work continues on the state level as well.

Commencing contract negotiations

We ask members to complete the contract membership survey which is being administered by our state union, NYSUT. The survey is available until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, June 14. The link can be found in emails that I sent to all current dues-paying members on May 19 and again on June 1.

In addition to the notes we took during our contract forums this spring, your feedback on this survey is critical for us so we can better understand and accurately represent member needs as our negotiations team prepares a proposal for the college and the county. (If you are an active, i.e., had an assignment in spring 2026, dues-paying member but did not receive this email, contact us immediately so we can make sure the email address you have on file with the FA is current and accurate. We want to hear from all members by June 14.)

Throughout the summer the negotiations team will be reviewing the survey results, preparing a proposal and negotiating with college administration and representatives from the county. While our current stipulation of agreement with the college expires on August 31, 2026, we do not have an expected timeline for when we will present the contract proposal to the membership. As chief negotiator, I can assure you that the goal is to present a fair contract to the membership and that will most likely be after our stipulation expires. Remember, however, that we have the Triborough Amendment which falls under the Taylor Law in New York State. Specifically, this means that all the provisions and protections afforded to members continue as we negotiate a fair contract. If applicable, members will receive their earned promotions and steps.

Thank you to Pete DiGregorio

On behalf of the FA officers, Executive Council and entire membership, I thank Peter DiGregorio for his decade of service to the FA as our treasurer. Pete first joined the officer ranks as grievance officer for one term in 2013-15, stepped down, then was elected as treasurer in 2016 where he has served the FA since.

Article V in the FA Bylaws states that when there’s a vacancy in any officer position other than president and more than one year has elapsed since the election of the outgoing officer, the president notifies the Executive Council (EC), appoints a search committee and presents candidates to the EC for approval. That process was carried out throughout the spring semester, three interested candidates were interviewed and the EC choose Kerry Carlson as the FA member to fill the remainder of Pete’s term as office.

We thank the members who showed interest in serving our union and we congratulate Grant Campus librarian Kerry on joining our officers team. We look forward to working with Kerry, and our thanks again to Pete!

Fixing Tier 6 one step at a time

Moving from the local to state perspective, we have tremendous momentum going into negotiations as this year’s New York State budget “fixed a bit” of Tier 6. While Tiers 5 and 6 are not totally fixed, NYSUT, along with unions from New York State AFL-CIO, strongly advocated for this year’s fixes when many thought any potential changes to Tiers 5 and 6 would not be fixed in an election year.

The major fix was to the mandatory minimum for those enrolled in NYSTERS retirement age was reduced from 63 to 58. For members enrolled in the New York State Employee Retirement System (ERS), those members will receive a .25% to 1.75% reduction in their contribution rate, depending upon the salary. Those new contribution rates include

• $75k or less: 3%
• $75k to $100k: 4%
• $100k to $125k: 5.25%
• $125k or more: 5.75%

Additionally, for members enrolled in the optional retirement plan TIAA-CREF, contribution amounts are adjusted to align with other retirement systems and those members will receive an additional 1% deposited to their retirement accounts.

These changes may seem like the dial has moved only a little in fixing Tier 6, but I want to highlight how far we have come in trying to fix Tier 6. In 2022, the vesting period for Tiers 5 and 6 was lowered. In 2024, the final average salary was changed from five to three years. While these incremental changes have change Tiers 5 and 6, we still have more advocacy work to do for the Fix Tier 6 campaign. NYSUT President Melinda Person stated at the recent NYSUT Board of Directors meeting that “We are 4 years into a 10-year process of fixing Tier 6.” Additionally, NYSUT highlighted this item for members in Tier 5:

Tier 5 TRS members’ retirement age is currently 57 and Tier 5 ERS members have fixed contribution rates at 3%. We are awaiting final information to assess how Tier 5 members eligible for overtime may be affected by current changes and we will continue to advocate for full fixes to Tier 5 along with further improvements for our Tier 6 members.

The fight to Fix Tier 6, which includes adjusting Tier 5, will continue in the coming years. This is why our advocacy must never stop. We need to continue with VOTE-COPE contributions and we must vote. The recent fixes to Tier 6 result in more money in our members’ pockets and in them working less than what was originally proposed in Tiers 5 and 6.

Get out the vote

The New York State primary is set for Tuesday, June 23, but there are many opportunities for early voting.

For FA members registered with the Democratic party, we have a major election for the Democratic candidate for New York State Comptroller. Tom DiNapoli, born and raised on Long Island, has served as the state comptroller since 2007. He took over when the economy was humming along smoothly, then the financial crisis of 2008 came and decimated many retirement plans in the country.

Thanks to Comptroller DiNapoli’s leadership, New York State has one of the best funded pension systems in the country today. Don’t be fooled by the other candidates; Comptroller DiNapoli needs to continue to oversee the pension plans of our members. If you’re registered with the Democratic party, I ask that you consider supporting Comptroller DiNapoli who has been officially endorsed by NYSUT.

Let’s keep the momentum going as we continue to advocate for our members and work to secure a fair contract for our members.