Four officers, 75 directors on the Board and several hundred employees from lobbyists, labor organizers and lawyers to communication, certification and contract specialists.
NYSUT members have access to the whole shebang whenever they need it.
But what does all that mean? Who does what and what’s with all the acronyms?
At NYSUT’s Capital District Regional Office’s new member mixer this fall, new members learned more about all the experts and services they have at their fingertips and had the opportunity to ask questions and engage in discussion with NYSUT staff from different departments.
“It’s super informative and I had no idea, for example, about all the discounts that Member Benefits offers,” said Melissa Rosenthal, now in her third year of teaching and a member of the Fort Edward Teachers Association. “It’s great to learn about all the different departments and I got to have some of my questions answered.”
It was her first time attending a new member event, and Rosenthal was able to get help right away with her certification questions from Glenn Jeffers, NYSUT’s certification guru in the Research and Educational Service Department. Rosenthal, a Tier 6 member, said she was also pleased to learn about NYSUT’s Fix Tier 6 campaign to rectify inequities in the New York state pension system.
“I realized I have a huge support team by being part of NYSUT, and if I need anything now or in the future, there is a whole network there to help us.”
NYSUT presenters broke down that network – department by department – as they explained to new members the structure of the union, including where to go for curriculum or Special Education issues, health insurance questions, legal assistance, health and safety concerns and help with local media relations.
“Coming from the private sector to being part of a union, I worked in an environment where I did not have the same kinds of benefits and supports,” said Samantha Kats, a first-year member of the South Glens Falls Faculty Association.
Kats was working for a private outpatient clinic that contracted to schools for the last five years and recently got her self-described dream job of being an Occupational Therapist in the South Glens Falls Central School District.
“Before joining my union, I was just one person going against ‘the big guy’ or asking ‘the big guy’ for something, so it’s nice to know now if anything comes up that I can rely on a whole team who has my back and is helping to better my future.”