Response to Patriot Returns

RE-ELECT THE HEO

NEW CAUCUS

SLATE

For the April ’10 PSC Chapter Election

HEOs Deserve Apology from "Patriot Returns”

Sharad Karkhanis, a retired librarian from Kingsborough, was forced to apologize to Professor O’Malley for the unprincipled attacks on her, and now he should apologize to HEOs for the Patriot Returns unprincipled attack on New Caucus HEO leadership and his attempt to divide HEOs from faculty.

Dividers Weaken the Union and that Hurts HEOs

Karkhanis’ attack (vol. 52, no. 2) is a thinly veiled campaign track for the New Caucus’ opponents in this April’s HEO election. Fred Brodzinsky, a HEO, is running against the New Caucus slate. He ran on the “Faculty First” slate at CCNY, then on the “CUNY Alliance” slate and now on the “HEO United” slate. As with his “Faculty First” slate, Brodzinsky is not a uniter nor is Karkhanis. They are both dividers and that fundamentally weakens the union and HEOs.

Contractual Titles and Salary Steps Protect HEOs

Karkhanis' article basically comes down to an attack on HEO’s contractual titles and salary steps, and he promotes management’s arguments that these should be changed.

Management just went through a process of changing “functional” job descriptions as part of the CUNY First startup; with many HEOs seeing their functional titles arbitrarily changed. Some even went from “director” to “assistant director.”

If HEOs did not have the protection of HEO contractual titles and salary steps, our salaries would have been at the mercy of management. Management wants to get rid of salary steps and have salaries set according to their discretion.

New Caucus HEO and Faculty Leaders Have a Proven Record of Commitment to Maintaining Faculty – HEO Salary and Benefit Parity

New Caucus Leaders consistently said "NO!" to management attempts to divide HEO and Faculty salaries and benefits. (Karkhanis is wrong when he says faculty don’t work year-round. Faculty have research and other obligations when not teaching.)
New Caucus leaders WON the same paid-parental leave benefit for HEOs and faculty.
New Caucus leaders WON the same 6.1% top step increase for both HEOs and faculty.
New Caucus leaders ENFORCED paid overtime for HEOs and the 35 hour work week.
New Caucus leaders STOPPED management from weakening 13.3(b), HEO job security.
New Caucus leaders WON professional recognition for HEO’s with professional development grants and pay differentials for advanced degrees.

New Caucus HEO and Faculty Leaders Are Committed to Continue Fighting for HEO Demands.

There is much more to do: including winning more due process rights for HEOs and an easier path to reclassification and promotion.

It will take a big fight to win these demands, and we need a united union to prevail; HEO, faculty, and CLT working together.

VOTE for the New Caucus HEO
Slate to Make Real Gains.

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