A Message from President Nicole Brown
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
The school year is now in full swing and every day I see evidence of your commitment to students and their families despite ongoing challenges. I am proud of all of you.
Fact-Finding Update
It was 1967 when the Taylor law was enacted in New York State. This law was created to establish basic labor rights for all public employees and ensure a fair process for negotiating contracts in the public sector. It also established our right to organize, have union representation, and collectively bargain wages, benefits, and working conditions.
Over the past few weeks, the officers and I participated in five fact-finding hearings with the support of our labor relations specialists and Peter Applebee, Manager of Higher Education, Education Finance, and Federal Programs at NYSUT. Fact-finding proceedings allow both parties to present our proposals, witness testimony, and other relevant evidence. If we are still unable to reach an agreement, the fact finder will write a thorough report with his recommendations for an agreement. While the recommendations are not binding, the report of the proceedings and recommendations will be made available to the public.
With the support from NYSUT, we are working diligently to come to a fair agreement with the District. Since we are close to that goal, the fact-finders have requested additional hearings dates from the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). I will continue to keep you updated as we navigate through this process.
As the negotiations team and Executive Board fight to improve your wages, benefits, and working conditions, it’s important that we continue to stand together and stand strong. Just as we’ve stood together for a safe return to our classrooms, we must stand for the resources our students need and a contract we deserve. As you will see below workers in all different areas are standing together and exerting their power to get their fair share. We will continue this fight until we get an agreement that meets our standards.
