[Frederick Brodzinski]

Dear Fellow HEOs,

Once again the HEO Chapter election is upon us. It is an opportunity for you to decide what your future will be, and the stakes are higher than ever. 

We are HEOs United, a group of HEOs representing a wide spectrum of HEO job titles.

We are running for the HEO chapter leadership positions in the PSC. We know firsthand the challenges that face HEOs in CUNY, and how our union has so often taken most of us for granted. For years, the union leadership has been unable or unwilling to tackle the serious salary, promotion, and institutional union support issues that keep us from getting a fair deal in the CUNY system. This is even more disturbing given that the HEOs are the single most  powerful union group in the university. The HEOs run EVERYTHING in CUNY, which gives us a tremendous bargaining position and leverage to get better working conditions, yet our union doesn’t seem to see it that way and always relegates our salary and promotion needs to second tier status.  We believe it’s time for a change.  

 We are dedicated to fighting exclusively for HEO rights to bring  the positive changes that will make your working lives better. We do not owe anything to, nor are we compromised by being part of a caucus  that is controlled by faculty. We believe that you should be entitled to the same support as the faculty; your own local campus union representation, grievance counselors and funding. We believe that instead of being ignored, your tireless efforts in making CUNY the great institution it is should be celebrated and promoted at every opportunity. Most importantly, we believe that HEOs deserve to be accorded an equal seat at the head of the table, and our needs should ALWAYS  be a major priority of the PSC.

Our opponents have a different view. The New Caucus faculty leadership is running a current union Vice President for the job of Chapter Chair of the HEO Chapter. If she wins, she will hold both posts concurrently. The way we see it, that’s kind of like Joe Biden keeping his Senate seat after being elected Vice President !

The message is clear.

After years of treating the HEOs as something less than a priority, the New Caucus now believes that the HEOs no longer  even deserve the same kind of basic representation and support that  ALL other PSC union members receive. As far as they are concerned, a part time HEO Chapter Chair is good enough for the full time dues paying  HEOs.

 Is THAT good enough for YOU?

We don’t think so. We think you deserve better.

Our platform strongly addresses the REAL issues facing HEOs; salaries, promotion, representation, and support. We’d strongly urge you to compare our platform for strengthening the HEOs and building a better future with those of our opponents, except for one thing;  

So far they haven’t come up with one  !

With your support, together we can build the HEO chapter that we all deserve; one that is exclusively dedicated to working to improve the lives of all HEOs.

HEOs United–New leadership for a Challenging Future!!
Chair – Fred Brodzinski

Vice Chair – Edward Camp         Secretary  – Wayne Grofik
 
Officer – At – Large      

Stephen Peter Russell     

Vanessa Jennings 

Kevin Abdur-Rahman   

Paula Wiest
 
                    Delegates                     

                                                                                           Connie Shao     Ashford Charleus 
                                                                                            Harry Good    Wayne Grofik 
                                                                                                  Vanessa Jennings    

                                                                                     Edward Baurin   Kevin Abdur-Rahman  

                                                                                              Stephen Peter Russell

                                                                                           Edward Camp      Paula Wiest

 

Our Platform:

 

1.We will provide more support for HEOs where they need it the most–at their individual campuses. Every faculty chapter has at least one, and some have two local grievance counselors assigned to their campus to provide support to the faculty.   And although the HEO Chapter is larger than several faculty chapters combined, HEOs have no on campus support of this kind at all. The 2,200 dues paying members of the HEO chapter have one person on Tuesday at the union office, one person on Wednesday at the union office, and one person every other Friday. We believe you deserve better. We will make sure that every campus has its own HEO Grievance Counselor. 

 

2. The current organization of the union is structured to keep HEOs under supported. We will seek to have a formal union HEO unit on each campus; either an association or standing committee complete with official union officers and their own funding.

 

3. We propose the re-examination of the entire HEO salary structure and system of reclassification to ensure that HEOs are always being fairly compensated for the work they do. No Assistant to HEO, HEOAssistant, or HEO Associate should EVER be stuck at the top salary step for 7 years or more. Our #1 priority in contract negotiations will be to make the HEO series a PROMOTIONAL series.

 

4. On an annual basis we will conduct a comprehensive survey of all HEOs throughout the university to identify trends and issues which will enable our union to be more responsive to HEO needs, leading to more effective negotiations with management.

 

5. We will request a re-evaluation of the provisions which allow for 150+  HEOs to be declared exempt from joining our union and ineligible for 13.3b, while they are simultaneously given no voice whatsoever in their own salary or workplace negotiations.

 

6. We will insist on complete transparency and accountability in all areas; for example, the allocation and expenditure of the HEO chapter budget and the HEO development fund allocations and screening decisions. It’s your money. You deserve to know how it is being spent.

 

7. A moratorium on participation in all labor conferences being paid for by your dues money by all members of our HEO slate. We will demand that those funds be put to use where they are most needed; serving you directly on your campus. The New Caucus habit of sending people to 5 or 10 conferences, workshops, and overnight meetings, all paid for by you, will end.

 

8. Establish and financially support HEO awards at every campus. We believe your remarkable accomplishments in the service of CUNY to educate the children of our great city should be acknowledged and celebrated at every opportunity.

 

9.We stand for a 100% commitment to defending 13.3b.

 

 

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