PSC wins again against NY State Furloughs
The Professional Staff Congress, AFT Local 2334, represents professors, instructors, adjuncts, lab techs, HEOs and a host of other professional titles at the City University of New York’s many campuses. Barbara Bowen is president.
Earlier this month the PSC (and three other unions) won a temporary restraining order against the furloughs – a forced pay cut – proposed by Governor Paterson. Bowen’s letter to members follows:
Dear Colleagues and Members,
I am delighted to announce that the US District Court has ruled again in the PSC’s favor, blocking the State from imposing furloughs on us while the underlying lawsuit against the furlough plan moves forward. The ruling means that the State cannot currently impose mandatory pay cuts—furloughs—on CUNY faculty and staff.
The PSC’s press release, which appears below, summarizes our victory, shared with the four other unions that also filed suit. We will provide a link to the text of Judge Kahn’s decision, handed down earlier today, as soon as it becomes available.
Thank you, PSC members who showed your support for the union’s legal fight. What protected us against the furlough plan was our contract—won through our collective strength as a union. Three other PSC members joined me as plaintiffs in the case, and they deserve special thanks: Frank Kirkland of Hunter College, Robert Cermele of New York City College of Technology, and Robert S. Nelson of the Graduate Center. My thanks, too, to the PSC’s legal staff and the attorneys at our state affiliate, NYSUT, who argued the case in Albany on Wednesday.
Enjoy the holiday weekend—without having to worry about the specter of a 20 percent cut in pay.
Barbara Bowen
President, PSC
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