AFT President Randi Weingarten spoke at the NYSUT Community College Conference last month immediately following the election. In this article, FA President Dante Morelli reflects on those election results as well. (photo by El-Wise Noisette, NYSUT)

With half the academic year nearly over, it is hard to believe 2025 is nearly upon on us. The FA has been quite busy from summer into the fall semester.

Member engagement & outreach

Heading into our third and final year as a NYSUT Local Action Project (LAP) local, we engaged our members with our semesterly professional development workshops that we co-sponsor with administration and the Guild. As you know from the October issue of The WORD, this semester’s workshop focused on navigating controversial topics on campus. Next semester’s will focus on artificial intelligence.

We also held in-person and virtual FA office hours to listen to member concerns. These are open to all members, who can just come to the meeting location on campus or log into the Zoom link we provide. We are always willing to meet with members any time about contractual concerns and other issues that pertain to our work. We will continue to host FA office hours in the spring semester as well.

We teamed up with AME, the Guild and administration to host a first-ever Health, Wellness and Benefits Fair for our members. During this event we were able to highlight the many contractual benefits offered to our members. Due to its popularity, we aim to hold this event again next fall at the Grant Campus. Also as noted in the October issue of The WORD, we held our annual retirement workshop so our members can appropriately plan for the future.

Finally, be sure to read about why the FA contributed $1,500 total across the three campus food pantries to assist students with a Thanksgiving holiday meal as well as our many union affiliations and the benefits they bring.

Contractual issues

The FA has formed a labor-management committee to discuss issues around Beacon,
the college’s dual enrollment program. Specifically, this committee is working and
focusing on the contractual component of Beacon faculty mentors. Please read Courtney’s article on Beacon where she thoroughly discusses and outlines the dual-credit program. We also formed a labor-management committee on promotion criteria
for our culinary arts faculty.

Upcoming for the spring 2025 semester

The FA looks forward to the remainder of the year by engaging members on the critical issue of appropriate state and county funding for community colleges. I want to thank our governance leaders for passing an FCCC resolution focusing on the much needed adequate funding for our students.

We will also engage members and advocate for the Fix Tier 6 campaign. Last year, the New York State Assembly and Senate were successful in passing and revising the final average salary component from five years to three, a major victory for our members who are in Tiers 5 and 6.

The FA will also hold a VOTE-COPE drive to ensure that we can continue to get fair contracts, healthcare and college budgets passed by the Suffolk County Legislature. We will engage the membership in VOTE-COPE both in one-on-one conversations and during Professional Development Day on February 11. The FA will also hold elections for officers, NYSUT/AFT delegates and EC representatives in the spring.

Reflections on the 2024 election

Finally, members have shared their views and analysis on the 2024 election with us. Some members are anxious about the incoming Trump administration, while some of our members are pleased to see that President Trump was re-elected.

I have attended meetings with NYSUT, AFT and NEA where the leadership discussed
how our state and national affiliates will respond to the results of the election. From these meetings, there is one unifying message: The fight for public education and labor rights will continue as the top priorities of our union. As the president of the FA, I have been asking what this means for our local.

Our membership is made up of many diverse voices and opinions. We are a strong union with members who support President Donald Trump and we have many members who supported Vice President Kamala Harris. We are a strong union with members who identify as Republican and members who identify as Democrat. We are a strong union made up of members who lean liberal-left and members who lean conservative-right in their politics. We are a strong union with members who identify as independent, moderate-left and moderate-right.

Regardless of our political identification, our common thread is that we are a strong union. We do not have to agree. In fact, as members who perform their labor at an institution of higher learning, we should have disagreement, discussion and debate on the social and political issues of the day.

But please know that our union, along with NYSUT and AFT, will work hard to protect our labor rights and public education, especially community colleges. Your union’s work will continue into the New Year. Get some rest over this holiday season, and enjoy your time with your family.