When lawmakers
don’t deliver, NYSUT’s
legal, field, health
and safety, and other
experts help local
unions find solutions
For months, as the economy
slid down the pandemic
pipe, New York State began
withholding 20 percent of aid to
school districts and public colleges
and universities, adding a measure of
hopelessness to what was already a
challenging and complicated year.
Efforts to pass a second COVID-19
stimulus bill in Washington were
— and remain — stifled by the
Republicans in the Senate and White
House. State lawmakers and the governor
seemed to have no solutions.
Desperate school officials started
prematurely slashing budgets and
laying off teachers and staff.
The union was scrambling for a
way to stop the cuts!
In September, NYSUT President
Andy Pallotta decided to sue the
state to stop it from holding back
money for schools, seeking the
release of funding withheld in July,
August and September — and an injunction
against future withholdings
and delays of payments.
“At this point, a lawsuit unfortunately
is the necessary next step to
compel our leaders to do what’s right:
Fund our future and stop these cuts,”
he said.
The lawsuit got big results, fast.
The very next day, the state division
of the budget committed to deliver
the September school aid payment
and hold off on further cuts until after
the presidential election.
NYSUT celebrated the success
but noted that much remained to be
done. “That’s all great,” Pallotta said,
“but it doesn’t change the fact that
we are seeking the release of funds
withheld from previous months, and
funding for public higher education
and health care, too.”
As the lawsuit works
its way through the
courts, the union
continues its Fund
Our Future advocacy
campaign
in the
Legislature to avoid mid-year cuts
and restore the funds that have been
withheld.
Fighting for members
With help from NYSUT’s legal department,
program services and field
services, local unions have been pulling
out all the stops to force districts
and employers to do what’s right to
protect workers and students all over
the state.
The articles below
show just a few examples of how the
statewide union is working with local
unions to push back when employers
ignore important health and
safety requirements or fail to provide
adequate accommodations
for at-risk employees.