Upstate UUP

UUP received word on Friday, September 16, 2022, that the Division of Budget has released Budget Bulletin D-1200,  Budget Bulletin D-1200 (ny.gov), which contains directions to state agencies concerning how the health care retention bonuses will be paid to state employees. This covers SUNY employees who are performing qualifying service, in qualifying titles, who will be eligible for these bonuses. We are presently studying the documents to get as clear a picture as possible as to who is included.  

Having said that, those working in qualifying service in qualifying titles at the SUNY hospitals, at the UB Dental School, at Optometry, and in Student Health Clinics at all SUNY campuses will be eligible.  Individual employees will not be required to apply for or submit any individual documentation to qualify, SUNY management will be responsible for identifying all employees who qualify. 

Your UUP Chapter Leadership will be meeting with HR this week to discuss details of this Healthcare Worker Bonus Budget Bulleting for our members. We will share what information is made available to us next week. The list of Qualifying Titles can be found here. Please do not contact us asking if you qualify for this bonus, all the information we have is available online.

This is a big win for our members and is the result of lots of hard work in advocacy with the governor’s office. Stay tuned for more information. 

UUP has just entered an agreement with the State and SUNY to extend the 2.5 OT MOA once again.  This extension will apply to all overtime earned by eligible employees through November 30, 2022.

Other than the extension through November 30, 2022, there are no other changes. A PDF of the new agreement is attached.

Need Help Managing Your Student Loan Debt?  

Over 12 million people in the United States are struggling to make their monthly student loan payments, and millions more see economic and personal opportunities pass as they prioritize paying down their debt. Does this sound like you or someone you know?  

Many of these people may qualify for free federal programs that can help reduce their monthly payments and eventually lead to student loan forgiveness, but these lifeline programs are significantly under-enrolled. In an effort to help our members get access to these programs, United University Professions and the American Federation of Teachers are proud to host a Student Debt Clinic which will provide information on how to enroll in Income-Driven Repayment plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness.   

 We will be offering virtual Members Only Student Debt Clinics on the following dates:    

• Sept 14, 2022 from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM via webinar.
• Sept 28, 2022 from 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM via webinar.

To attend one of the virtual Members Only Student Debt Clinics, you must pre-register here: http://go.aft.org/StudentDebtClinicRSVP.

From the “student debt clinic” drop down menu, please select the UUP clinic that you are interested in attending – they are labeled “UUP [Virtual Student Debt Clinic] [date] [time].” In the affiliate field, type in the full name of our local (United University Professions), and it will autofill after a few keystrokes.

Registration is first come, first serve, and we must cap attendance for a single clinic at 75 participants in order to ensure that we are able to provide maximum assistance to attendees. Registration will close 48 hours prior to the virtual clinic. Webinar login information will be provided prior to the clinic to all who register. [If you can’t make one of these virtual clinics, don’t worry – we’re planning on offering them every payday. If you want to help host a chapter-specific virtual clinic, please let us know!]  

Managing your student loan debt is the first step in taking on the inequities which plague our system of higher education, and we look forward to seeing you at the virtual Student Debt Clinic and working together to find a collective solution to the problems of student debt and college affordability!  

Register now!

Upcoming Dates

• September 14, 2022
• September 28, 2022
• October 12, 2022
• October 26, 2022
• November 9, 2022
• November 23, 2022
• December 7, 2022
• December 21, 2022

UUP’s advocacy has led to the passage in the State Senate and State Assembly of S8389C & A9523B. This legislation will be an incredible benefit for our contingent and adjunct members.

This bill is an amendment to state labor law, giving full-time employment status to public employees who work at least 30 hours per week for the limited purpose of accessing the federal Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

The bill also applies a 3.35x multiplier to contingent faculty’s in-class hours so that hours worked outside of class are more accurately reflected.

Lastly, it will ensure that agencies and employers can transmit requisite paperwork on behalf of workers to the federal government which will help more New Yorkers get their loans forgiven faster.

I hope you can take a moment to send a digital letter to Governor Hochul by clicking HERE.