We had great turnout, with a room full of people in person, enjoying Mexican food for lunch, and a screen full of coworkers joining remotely. James Davis, the president of the PSC, attended in person. We discussed the following:

Updates

• Our union is currently pursuing two grievances about mandatory trainings for our adjunct coworkers. Adjuncts are being asked to do trainings that exceed the time allotted for them by the contract, particularly for those who teach one class. We think people should be paid for training time that exceeds the three hours in the contract! Please keep track of time you spend on trainings if you are an adjunct.
• Status of the grievance concerning retro-pay for adjuncts. The PSC is arguing that anyone who was working in either fall 2024 or 25 or both should receive retro pay. The grievance is in step 2 and will probably end up in arbitration (most grievances are not settled in step 2). The union has great witnesses and is in a good position to win.
• PSC Immigrant Solidarity Working Group does immigration court watch on Thursday and Friday mornings – essential work in NYC, where many immigrants get taken by ICE in these courts. The next training is on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 6:30pm on zoom. Every campus is developing an Immigrant Solidarity campus team. We have plenty to work on, e.g. there was a raid on a migrant shelter a few blocks from SLU, with ICE taking people as they waited for their children to come back from school. To join our team, email Samina <[email protected]>. The first meeting of the SLU campus team is on Wednesday, November 12, 11-12 on zoom.
• The fight against repression at CUNY includes fighting to reinstate the fired faculty at Brooklyn College. PSC is cosponsoring a webinar on Combatting Contingency in a Time of Political Repression with American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and Higher Education Labor United (HELU), Thursday, Nov. 13 6-8pm hybrid.
• We discussed the Hands of Higher Ed rally that took place the next day and targeted Marc Rowan, CEO of Apollo Global, who is behind the attacks on higher education, including the recent “compact” for colleges and universities.

Health Benefits

PSC president James Davis made a presentation (slides attached) on the changes in our health insurance. The city has been looking to save money on health insurance. This change affects those with GHI. Emblem/GHI will change to NYCE PPO. Emblem and United Healthcare will administer the plan. The change is supposed to save the city $1 billion. The retirees are not affected, and the plan remains premium-free. All PICA and Welfare Fund Benefits will remain the same.

How the savings will be realized is not clear, as much of the contract for years 2-5 was redacted. PSC members are currently calling their providers to find out whether they are in the NYCE PPO network (also worth mentioning to your doctor is the Emblem Health Bridge Network). Some providers do not yet know. There are concerns about United Healthcare being especially bad and using AI to review claims.

Open enrollment started on November 1. All other City plans are available. If you have GHI and you do nothing during this enrollment period, the changes will go into effect automatically on January 1.

PSC website to get more info

FAQ’s about the New NYC Health Plan

Health Benefits Comparison Chart

Emblem Health/United Healthcare (External Page): https://go.tpa.com/nyceppo 

And FAQ: https://go.tpa.com/nyceppo#FAQ

More information on how we ended up with this change: The Municipal Labor Council, of which PSC is a part, voted on this change. The PSC abstained because of concerns about the lack of transparency, but 88% of the MLC voted yes. We continue to be concerned about what will happen beyond 2026. It is also frustrating that some providers do not know whether they will be in network during the month we can change insurance. PSC elected leadership continues to press for explanations and better processes. We also discussed lack of information about out-of-network reimbursements, particularly for mental health services. Comptroller Brad Lander is expected to sign off on the plan, despite the campaign to get him not to sign. The mayor can still register the plan without Lander’s signature. There is also a lawsuit against the implementation of the new plan, based on the argument that the city cannot self-insure. PSC will press the new mayor to develop a team of health experts who can oversee system.

Labor-management meetings

These meetings are where we as the union at SLU meet with SLU management to discuss workplace issues and request information. 30 people joined the zoom at our last meeting. We need as many or more at the next meeting to continue making the progress we made: a sub-committee was formed to resolve HR-related issues, which has already met, and an agreement was reached to have 2 PSC members help management work on communication lists (please volunteer if you are interested). Management has responded to our follow-up emails promptly and in detail. The next labor-management meeting is on Tuesday, November 25, at 11am.

Announcements

The SLU union phone/text-banking team continues its good work of checking in on coworkers and sharing upcoming events. Email Rose <[email protected]> to join the effort.

A HEO meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 19, 1-2:15 in room 1425. Rulisa Galloway Perry, the co-chair of the HEO PSC Chapter will attend. On the agenda are healthcare plan changes and reclassification review. Lunch will be served.