As we look back on 2023, there’s a lot to be proud of as NYSUT members.
We delivered passage of the Workplace Violence Protection Act and fully funded Foundation Aid for our schools. We fought back against book banning and attacks from the Freedom Foundation and launched our multi-year campaign to Fix Tier 6. We’re growing our union through external organizing campaigns that are bringing NYSUT membership to librarians, security guards and charter and private school employees across the state (because everyone has the right to be a NYSUT member). We’re also winning elections and training hundreds of NYSUT members, through our Pipeline project, to run in elections from local school board to Congress.
From school visits to rallies supporting striking workers in the labor movement, from legislative and election victories to our union’s organizational growth, from groundbreaking events with Micron to our many NYSUT Runs NY 5K community events statewide – each accomplishment is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and resilience of our union.
As we look forward to the coming year, we carry the momentum of our achievements with a sense of optimism and purpose. NYSUT will continue to testify to the power of our members’ work and we’ll renew our commitment to the students and families you serve. Here's to another year of making a difference!
See all that we accomplished together with the reports collected below and be sure to check out our 2023 NYSUT Wrapped video.
Legislative victories
Foundation Aid: The state finally fulfilled its promise to fully fund Foundation Aid. New York state school aid totals $34 billion and includes a $2.6 billion Foundation Aid increase. This investment means that students will get more of the tools and resources they need to thrive in the classroom. This was decades in the making and something we’ve been pushing hard for through our Fund Our Future campaign.
Workplace Violence Prevention: NYSUT – and specifically our SRP members – notched a hard and long-fought victory when the Legislature finally agreed to add schools to the state’s Workplace Violence Prevention Act. The 2006 law requires public employers to develop and implement programs to identify and prevent workplace violence. NYSUT joined the governor in September as she signed the bill into law. This will ensure educators and school staff have the training and professional support they need to help students with unique behavioral or emotional needs.
Equality for public workers: The governor signed a NYSUT-backed bill that amends Section 80 of civil service law to protect the jobs of New York's public workers, including many NYSUT School-Related Professionals. This ensures those who have dedicated years of their lives to their careers will not be the first laid off simply because they are the most expensive. It also makes sure that those who are laid off have the first opportunity to have their old jobs back.
NYSUT candidates (and members) flood the ballot box
School Board and Budget Elections: New York voters delivered a strong vote of confidence in their public schools, with 99 percent of school district budgets passed in May’s elections. Local unions endorsed 360 candidates in board elections. Eighty five percent of these candidates were elected to local boards of education across the state, including 75 NYSUT members.
Pipeline success: State Sen. John Mannion launched his 2024 congressional campaign in Central New York with enthusiastic support from NYSUT. Mannion, the former president of the West Genesee Teachers Association and a graduate of the union’s Member Organizing Institute, “has proven he will fight tirelessly to uplift educators, students and communities,” NYSUT President Melinda Person said. “As a teacher and NYSUT member, we know John will be the powerful voice in Washington for working-class families and strong public schools that Central New York deserves."
Proposition 1: New Yorkers overwhelmingly passed Proposition 1 to remove small city school districts from special debt limitation. Thanks in large part to a big turnout from NYSUT members, our small city schools, and their more than 200,000 students, are now on the same playing field as other districts.
RA 2023 highlights
After 37 years in education and the labor movement, we said farewell to former NYSUT President Andy Pallotta, who retired at the end of his term last April. Delegates elected Melinda Person, former NYSUT executive director and political director, to a three-year term as president at the union’s 51st Representative Assembly. We also said goodbye to former NYSUT Executive Vice President Jolene DiBrango, who embarked on a new chapter of life after 30 years as an SRP, teacher and elected union leader. Jaime L. Ciffone, an educator of 21 years, was elected executive vice president.
New commitment to organizing
At the 2023 RA, NYSUT announced a renewed commitment to organizing new units across New York as support for unions skyrockets across the nation. It has already been an overwhelming success; NYSUT scored organizing wins statewide thanks to the hard work of its network of union organizers. They organized 670 new members in 2023, compared to about 180 in 2022.
“Organizing is a simple goal, but a difficult task and it’s one of NYSUT’s primary goals going forward,” said Melinda Person, NYSUT president. “This is an exciting time for labor, and we believe that all workers need unions — everyone deserves NYSUT support.”
Contract wins
UUP members approved a new four-year contract by one of the largest vote totals in its 50-year history. Ratified by 96.4 percent of its members, the contract provides historic gains — including across-the-board raises and rewards for members at SUNY’s public teaching hospitals, who were on the front lines of the pandemic.
Also notching noteworthy 2023 contract wins were the Nanuet Teachers Association, the Rochester TA, the New Hartford Employees Union, the Cayuga Community College Part Time Faculty Association,the Homer TA, the United Federation of Teachers, the Buffalo Teachers Federation and the Poughkeepsie Public School TA.
NYSUT-backed programs get state support
Mental health: On Aug 3, NYSUT President Melinda Person joined Gov. Kathy Hochul and other state officials to announce the availability of $108 million in grant funding for school districts to support student well-being by expanding mental health supports in schools. Through legislative efforts and initiatives such as the Future Forward program, NYSUT has long advocated for this investment, something President Person stressed in her remarks: “This investment by the state brings us closer to our goal of building the safe and supportive classrooms that our students and educators need to thrive. Healthy schools are the center of our communities.”
Online Safety: We're fighting to protect children from online dangers. In October, NYSUT joined Gov. Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James as they announced new legislation to restrict addictive features of social media that harm young users and prohibit online platforms from collecting children’s personal data.
Micron partnership: NYSUT President Melinda Person joined Gov. Hochul at the Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central for the announcement of a significant investment to increase the pipeline of students interested in the semiconductor industry and high-tech manufacturing. The framework will be piloted in 10 school districts and BOCES (Boards of Cooperative Educational Services) over three years beginning in fall 2024. This fall, President Person hit the road and visited an assortment of experiential learning programs that are engaging students and helping them find their passions.
Classroom heat
During the first week of the 2023-24 school year, classroom temperatures reached nearly 100 degrees in parts of New York. NYSUT collected stories from more than 600 educators who described their classrooms that lacked effective climate control systems as “heartbreaking,” “inhumane,” and “a living hell.” We put together a 200-page report, “Overheated,”which details the toll that excessive indoor temperatures take on our educators and students. The report will be distributed to New York state legislators at the beginning of session to argue for the passing of bill A447/S3397, which would establish a maximum temperature in school buildings and indoor facilities.
Supporting the Farmingdale community
Our NYSUT family was devastated by a tragic bus crash this year that claimed the lives of two educators from the Farmingdale school district: Gina Pellettiere, the band director at the high school for almost two decades, and retiree Beatrice Ferrari, who taught for 26 years. The NYSUT Disaster Relief Fund worked with the Farmingdale Federation of Teachers to collect donations to ensure maximum support for those who were impacted most by this tragedy. Pictured above: NYSUT headquarters staff members joined the many across New York state who took part in Farmingdale's #DalerForADay campaign in September. Photo by El-Wise Noisette.
Fighting against unaccountable corporate charter schools
Throughout the year, NYSUT rallied a coalition of our members, communities and lawmakers to push back on unaccountable corporate charter schools expanding into neighborhoods across the state. For-profit charters siphon taxpayer funds away from where they belong: our public schools, which are the centers of our communities and where all students are welcome.
End-of-Year Scholarships
Every year, educators get creative to raise money for scholarships through dress-down days, pizza parties, car washes, plant sales and other events to help thousands of students. This year, NYSUT local unions awarded roughly $3 million in scholarships statewide for deserving high school graduates.
Launch of Fix Tier 6
Starting in the spring and culminating in a back-to-school push, NYSUT launched a major new initiative to fix retirement tiers 5 and 6.
The story of Anna and Michelle, a mother-daughter duo who both teach math at Oneonta High School but have starkly different retirement plans, was our most popular FT6 article and most liked/shared FB post of the year.
Thousands of NYSUT members have already joined our Fix Tier 6 Action Team. Have you?
A New Deal for Higher Ed
New York State United Teachers called for a “new deal” for public higher education during the 2023 legislative session -- a $4.7 billion investment in public higher ed so that students can attend public colleges and universities without incurring tremendous debt. Hundreds of NYSUT activists traveled to Albany in February to bring that message to lawmakers during the union’s Committee of 100 Lobby Day. As part of the campaign, many New Yorkers – including lawmakers and NYSUT members – offered video testimonials on how attending a public college or university made a difference.
Educator Inspired
We all have an educator who inspired us, but they may never know how much they helped us or influenced us on our path in life. That’s why NYSUT has launched “Educator Inspired,” a sprawling new multimedia campaign to honor these untold stories and pay homage to the educators whose impacts ripple across entire communities. “Educator Inspired” encourages people to share memories about their favorite teachers through videos, written testimonials and other media. We are setting up our “Educator Inspired” booth at fairs, festivals and markets across New York state and sharing the vignettes we gather on our new “Educator Inspired” website and social media channels. You’ll also see some familiar faces from prominent politicians to Oscar-winners sharing impactful stories of educators who helped them get to the positions of power and influence they hold today.
More Teaching, Less Testing Task Force report
NYSUT released our More Teaching Less Testing Task Force Report with recommendations that reimagine the current system of student assessments and graduation requirements in New York. Top line recommendations include providing additional pathways to graduation aside from Regents exams, fixing the flawed grades 3-8 assessment system and delinking test results from teacher evaluations. The State Education Department then released proposals from its Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures — which are now under consideration by the Board of Regents through spring 2024 — that closely align with NYSUT’s recommendations.
Wildfire smoke
In June, smoke and haze from wildfires in Canada blanketed much of New York state, increasing the danger for those who suffer from asthma and other ailments. NYSUT supported actions by the governor and school districts to limit outdoor activities and keep children and educators safe.
2024 New York State Teacher of the Year
New York State United Teachers congratulated Rochester Teachers Association member Zachary Arenz, a music teacher at Flower City School Number 54, on being named the 2024 New York State Teacher of the Year by the state Board of Regents. Arenz sums up his teaching philosophy as “establishing places where folks feel safe, communication is encouraged and anyone is welcome to express their truest self.”
Lifeguards!
They are the first to respond to an emergency at the beach, they go through rigorous training and must pass written tests and physical exams. They also must earn CPR, first aid and AED certification. On top of all that, ocean lifeguards learn to respond to emergencies that are specific to a beach like boating accidents, shark attacks or jellyfish stings. And yet, open water lifeguards are not classified as first responders. NYSUT is supporting our lifeguard members in their fight for the state Legislature to grant emergency first responder status to open water lifeguards, which they say will give them access to better health benefits if they get injured on the job, more tools to recruit the next generation amid a lifeguard shortage, and greater professional respect.
Scorpions!
Scorpions weren’t on the lunch menu at Gibson Elementary School, but that didn’t stop one from showing up in a box of bananas.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
This October, NYSUT members participated in the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks across the state. Together we raised over $275,000 to save lives and fund the future of cancer research, patient support and advocacy. NYSUT has been a flagship sponsor for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer for 21 years, and during that time, our members have raised $16.6 million. To all our members who have loved ones facing down this diagnosis, or are fighting it themselves, we are here for you.
Cultural celebrations: 2023 posters
Our 2023 Posters celebrated:
- Black History Month – Serena Williams and Frederick Douglass
- Women’s History Month – Jina “Mahsa” Amini
- Hispanic History Month – Rita Moreno
- LGBTQ History Month – Billie Jean King
- Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month — Ke Huy Quan
- Native American Heritage Month — Lily Gladstone
Social justice
The first Social Justice Academy cohort graduated in July training members from five pilot locals to raise awareness and advocate for change within their communities. NYSUT also continued its "Sticks and Stones" Implicit Bias workshops, part of its Many Threads, One Fabric series, and launched a new Pathways to Leadership program.
Your online favorites for 2023
Here's what you found most clickable on NYSUT's websites:
On Facebook, members loved our feel-good stories of school trips, holiday celebrations and lighthearted content highlighting educators' valiant efforts:
On Instagram, it was updates on the #FixTier6 campaign, More Teaching Less Testing and our push to address extreme heat in our schools that got members engaged:
And on Twitter/X, celebrities sharing their love for educators, our fight against corporate charter schools and testing reigned supreme: