Vol. 39, No.3                                                 June 30, 2008

Bowen's Boondoggle
And Other Comments

Over the years, the Editor of The Patriot Returns has received numerous comments from readers reflecting their opinions of our Dear Leader and her performance. We believe that it is time to share a few of these in current and future editions of The Patriot Returns. Names are omitted to protect our correspondents, with the obvious exception of public blogs. We thank you for your constant voluminous feedback and criticism. All opinions and ideas are always welcome here at The Patriot Returns.

1) From Brooklyn College Professor Mitchell Langbert’s blog: (Click Here)

According to Sarah Garland of the New York Sun, in 2006, the New York City schoolteachers negotiated a contract that will expire in 2009. The contract gave the teachers a 7.1% annual raise over 2008-2009.

The Sun quotes the United Federation of Teachers' President Randi Weingarten:

"Pointing to a total increase in teacher salaries of more than 40% since 2002, Ms. Weingarten said, "Finally we are making real progress."

In contrast to 40% gains in teacher salaries, the Professional Staff Congress (PSC), the union that represents the faculty of the City University of New York, in the last contract that ran from 2004 to 2007 negotiated a 6% increase over three years.

On June 23, 2008 Barbara Bowen, the PSC president, released a letter describing a new contract that runs from 2007 to 2010. It includes the following increases:

****3.15%, effective September 20, 2007
****4.00%, effective October 6, 2008
****3.00%, effective October 20, 2009

In other words, the Barbara Bowen and the PSC negotiated increases at about half of what New York City's schoolteachers received. And this on top of increases less than half of what the schoolteachers received in the last contract as well. In comparison to the 40% from 2002-9, the PSC has won 16% from 2004-10, about 40% of what the teachers have won.

Despite this dismal performance President Bowen writes in her letter:

"The tentative contract is a principled, creative settlement that combines increases throughout the salary scale with special increases at the top and the bottom. ...... The tentative agreement comes with the strong support of the PSC negotiating committee."

Just a few days before the deal's announcement, the indomitable Sharad Karkhanis in his Patriot Returns newsletter expressed dismay at the union leadership's performance; its inept management; and governmental officials' indifference to the union leadership. He exhorts Bowen:

The PSC's propaganda paper (Clarion) boasts of your trips to Albany and your meetings with the mighty and powerful. But it seems to us that all this is baloney. Neither the New York media nor government authorities consider you relevant or powerful. You can be safely ignored, laughed at, forgotten. We wouldn't care, except that also forgotten, as a consequence, are the people you represent. No wonder you cannot get a good contract for CUNY faculty. Your tactics have deemed you irrelevant to the real media and those in decision making positions in the state. You are a failure in the eyes of the membership. They will not return you to that office again next year, Barbara.

For how long will the CUNY faculty be willing to tolerate the PSC leadership's incompetence?

2) Brooklyn College Professor:

Welcome back. Glad to hear the good news, the bad news was predictable. They are probably sitting down and trying to figure out how to sugarcoat it.

3) Bronx Community College Professor:

It pleases me no end to see people stick up for what is fair and just and to emerge victorious from their efforts. After all, fairness and justice are the virtues which theoretically separate us from the kinds of societies for which the PSC oftentimes goes to bat. Please keep up the good work.

4) Lehman College Professor:

I am in total agreement with every stand you have. As a faculty for XX years, full professor at the top of the salary scale..my salary pales compared to my peers at ANY other college. We do not get great new faculty as PSC is more focused on adjuncts. Pathetic. Thanks for your time and effort..you have my support!!!

5) Hunter College Professor:

Hi,
The only concern that O'Malley, Bowen, and the people who are supposed by serving the PSC-CUNY faculty is to get re-elected. We the union members are held hostage and being robbed of our hard earned money for these people who have proven themselves over and over again to be competent only at serving themselves great perks and getting away with minimal work. I cannot think of one thing the union has done for me ever… In fact I once asked Bowen "What benefits do I get from union membership? Her reply, "You get to vote for a union representative." I would rather be part of the AFL-CIO. I will also be sure to vote the exact opposite way the supposed leadership endorses.
You can quote that.

6) Brooklyn College Professor:

Hi!

You may want to make note that CSEA just concluded contract negotiations with NYS and have 3,3,3, &4% increases. PEF is expecting a similar contract. PSC's last contract did not even keep up with inflation let alone be competitive.

While the Bowen krew has been worried about teachers in Mexico & Peru I never heard a word from her about the embargo against Israeli professors or about their recent strike!

I am not a PSC member simply because I refuse to support her political ideals. I get my money back each year for the PSC lobbying. Not near enough I fear. Since they did not accurately add up the percentage of our last raise I doubt they do correct accounting when it comes to adding up the lobbying money. BTW: do you know if the PSC even have audited financial statements?
Thank you for your continued efforts to expose the truth

7) From an irate left-wing retiree you might recognize:

Take me off your list. I see enough right-wing, semi-literate, senile drivel as it is without adding yours.

(Ed: We most certainly obliged!)

8) CCNY Professor:

I understand your point and agree that misappropriation should be a concern, it is definitely mine. I am concerned that the focus is all on the leadership's weaknesses and nothing on their accomplishments, worst that they are blamed for things that management should be blamed for. And of course I am a friend to everyone who treats me with respect.

9) Queens College Professor:

I read the recent letter by BB regarding the management offer. While I would love for their increases to be higher, given the economic climate, shouldn't we grab the offer? It will take the union 2-3 years of fighting anyway for the next contract. Why not be on schedule for once and then continue the pressure for the future. I know I am hurting economically; how likely is it for management to increase and by how much?

10) John Jay College Professor:

Dear Kharkanis:
To say that Adjunct faculty is the power base of the New Caucus is at best speculative, and from my perspective at John Jay it is incredibly inaccurate. Perhaps you full-timers and emeritii are suffering from major league denial. If we adjuncts are her power base would you please explain why we, as a group, did proportionately worse in the last rotten-fish version of a contract than tenure tract faculty?
Fifty-five percent of adjuncts, according to PSC itself, teach only one course. This made them ineligible for the few crumbs which were preserved or obtained: the paid "office hour" time, the adjunct "professional development" fund, medical benefits, CUNY research grant money. The 100 full time lecturer titles were portioned out only to those who taught two or more classes (full-time wannabes.)
Like the rest of you, we made the "heroic sacrifice" of our first raise to shore up the dying welfare fund; we got the same paltry and postponed general raise. We obtained no new step-levels for our bargaining titles and there was no decrease in the timing of these steps. No "new" welfare benefits came our way.
Unlike the tenure track full timers, adjuncts are not eligible for reduced hours or sabbatical leave, even at 50% of regular pay.
Unlike the upper caste at CUNY we cannot even receive unemployment pay for we are only considered regular employees when it comes to the responsibilities and administrative duties of the job.
Wake up and smell the lemons! Why would we have loyalty to PSC or your faction when you both treat us like  some kind of necessary but slightly repulsive lower order?

(Ed: The Patriot Returns represents no faction. Opinions are those of the editor.)

Sharad Karkhanis, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Editor-in-Chief

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