As we enjoy a day off to celebrate Labor Day, we know we are fortunate to have a day to rest and celebrate the gains unions and union workers have made. However, this was not always the case. Before unions, workers had little time off and few, if any, protections. As union members, one of our foundational principles is that when workers join together, we can achieve more. This is true at the local level as WITA members, as well as at the state and national levels through NYSUT (New York State United Teachers) and the AFT (American Federation of Teachers). Today, we want to emphasize some of the accomplishments that we have won as NYSUT members during the past school year. Please share our pride in these accomplishments, which will improve our profession, and join us in the fight for more significant accomplishments.
APPR Reforms
One of our biggest wins through NYSUT came at the end of June in the form of a new APPR law enacted by the Governor. This significant win ends the punitive, test-and-punish teacher evaluation system that took the emphasis off learning and put it on test scores. This achievement, the result of a 14-year effort, returns the creation and administration of teacher evaluation systems to local control and empowers us to shape our educational standards.
As we move forward, we will work with the administration to craft a fair, supportive, and growth-oriented system for teachers and, by extension, our students.
Fix Tier Six
Thanks to our collective action, a first step has been achieved in reforming the unfair pension changes enacted as part of Tier 6. This first step lowers the Final Average Salary calculation from five years to three years, making it the same as Tier 4 members. Since teachers typically earn more in our last years, future retirees will earn more in each year of retirement.
The fight to make further reforms to Tier 6 includes modifying the age/service requirement and contribution percentage to match those of Tier 4 members. If you still need to join the fight to Fix Tier 6, please take a moment to do so now by clicking HERE.
Foundation Aid
In one of the most immediately impactful wins this year, the devastating cuts proposed in this year’s executive budget were reversed, and the long-standing save-harmless policy was restored. The resulting budget included a $934 million increase in Foundation Aid statewide. This was an important win, which we took an active role in helping to bring about, preventing the loss of teaching positions across Long Island.
Social Media Safety Bills
As we witness the declining mental health and negative impacts of social media and cell phone use on students, our support of NYSUT led to two bills being passed to address these issues. The SAFT for Kids Act restricts the use of addictive algorithms by social media companies when minors are involved, and the NY Child Data Protection Act bans these platforms from collecting and selling the data of minors without consent. These bills are positive first steps to protect children from the dangers posed by technology.
Your support and membership in NYSUT, as well as contributions to VOTE COPE, helped make these and other victories possible. The coming year will bring opportunities for more success, and we hope you will make time to actively join us in these efforts. Please enjoy the day off, and we look forward to seeing you during the coming school year!
