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Dante Morelli
A simple thank you. Funny how something seemingly so small can feel so big. After our annual retirement workshop on October 4, a member sent an email to the FA indicating that while people at their table were expressing how “lucky” they are to have such wonderful union benefits, this member knows it is not about luck but rather about the hard work of our FA officers, Executive Council (EC) reps and activists. Three days later, at our adjunct meet and greet on October 7, a colleague stayed on a bit longer before logging off to say, “I know you might not hear this often enough, so thank you for all you do for adjuncts at the college.” We don’t do what we do in the FA for applause. We do it because when we—FA officers, delegates and EC reps alike—are elected into our positions, we agree to uphold the FA Constitution and Bylaws, which make plain that our two core purposes are to “foster educational excellence” and “represent the community of interests of... the Faculty Association membership.” We take those responsibilities seriously and we never want our members to have to rely on mere luck to be supported in the ways they deserve. Come together, right now
In addition to the contractual rights and benefits we have advocated for and won for our members, there are many other ways that we work to bring the college community together. In this issue, please read Courtney’s article and consider volunteering as a CPC rep or on Middle States groups. In Joan’s article you can see how caring for those affected by breast cancer, including our own members brings our community together. You can see that Kim Ng Southard is absolutely tireless in advocating for our adjunct colleagues. And in Cynthia’s articles about ensuring RSI in distance education and about the importance of completing the SUNY campus climate survey, you will see yet more ways that we in the FA continue to work hard for the benefit of the entire college community. Other examples are the collaborative professional development opportunities we host for our members. Most recently was the well attended October 4 FA/Guild retirement workshop, where 50 colleagues learned a great deal from presenters including Gerry McGahran of Stacey Braun Associates, Mary Kaffaga from our Benefit Fund, Victoria Shure-Muthig of our HR department and Maggie Brown plus other representatives from our Employee Medical Health Plan. We also had a terrific turnout for our September 13 workshop, Navigating Controversial Topics on Campus, co-sponsored by the FA, Guild and college administration. Please read Cynthia’s articles about some of the great content presented during that September 13 event: Considering multiple perspectives, What academic freedom does and does not mean and Managing hot moments. The upcoming election was a major motivation for developing this workshop. It is no secret that previous elections and the overall political climate has been divisive to say the least. Politics have been so polarizing that a 2020 poll by Pew Research Center found that nearly half of Americans no longer talk politics with friends or family members. While this data is from 2020, polarization seems to have persisted. Not talking politics is one way to preserve relationships, but a September 2024 study by the American Psychiatric Association reported that nearly 20 percent of Americans have cut ties with a family member over politics. It is not uncommon for family members to make holiday plans around who will or will not be attending social gatherings. This is disconcerting. I have taught communication studies for more than 20 years and the main theme I teach to students is “know your audience and make a connection with them.” This is also one of the top skills needed for union leadership. Instead, we are seeing others purposely trying to stay away, end relationships, move on with life, etc. There is something sad about the state of human relationships when it comes to politics. In any union, we strive for solidarity and unity—we try to bring people together. Robert Putnam and Lewis Feldstein outline the need to unify in their 2003 book Better Together: Restoring the American Community. Since then other books have focused on our need to come together. The FA strives to bring members together around professional development, contract negotiations, county and state advocacy work (including Fix Tier 6) and of course our political activism. Politically active, not politically partisan While politics can threaten to divide families and sever friendships, our state and national unions aim to endorse candidates that speak to our issues and unite us as unionists and educators.
I often say that the FA is a politically active union but not a politically partisan union. We endorse candidates on both side of the aisle who will champion the causes of labor and public education. Our state union, NYSUT, went through the endorsement process over the summer, starting with regional endorsements first. In August the NYS AFL-CIO convention in NYC also passed a list of endorsements, with nearly all of NYSUT’s endorsed candidates receiving the coveted AFL-CIO endorsement. NYSUT endorsements can be found by putting your local address into the search box on the NYSUT Voter Guide 2024 website. We also invite you to review the NYS AFL-CIO election 2024 endorsements. Please consider these endorsed candidates within your respective congressional and state districts as you go to polls. Election Day is November 5 but early voting starts October 26. The deadline to register is also October 26. Registered voters in New York can look up their polling place on this NYS Board of Elections webpage: Poll Site Search, Voter Registration and Mail Ballot Tracker. Together, with a unified voice, we can elect members to Congress and our state chambers who support education and labor rights. With the multiple and varied challenges facing the college and working people in general, it is more important than ever to elect education friendly and labor friendly representatives into office. Doing so will enable us to better continue serving you, our hardworking members, long into the future—so we don’t have to rely on luck. |
