This week, local unions returned to the annual LAP conference in Lake George, brimming with news about the wins they have scored so far, thanks to the lessons they learned right here.
Each year, locals from across the state come together for NYSUT’s Local Action Project, a three-year program that helps local leadership develop the tools they need to take on their biggest challenges, including member recruitment, retention, team building and political action.
“This is the program that keeps NYSUT’s wheels turning. It really does start with LAP,” Second Vice President Ron Gross told the LAP attendees at the opening session. “We do such amazing work in this setting, and it really is going to be transformational for your locals.”
“This was just defining for us,” said Jennifer Austin, president of the Fillmore Faculty Association, a third-year local. Austin came on as president three years ago, and said LAP helped her build a driven group of leaders, united around a common mission. The local also used what they’d learned at LAP to run a successful election to flip their school board and coordinate additional community resources to support students and their families. “LAP was really a jumpstart for us,” said Austin.
Bellmore-Merrick United Secondary Teachers are in their second year of LAP but already starting to see changes.
Thanks to successful member engagement tactics, BMUST’s latest contract adds a pay step for educators who have earned their master’s degrees plus 90 additional credits.
“One of our Year 1 LAP goals was for one-on-one conversations to take place between each of our 500-plus members and a building rep. The input from this engagement effort helped inform our recent contract negotiations and ultimately contributed to the successful negotiation of a new MA +90 salary column,” said Anthony Brandofino, LAP coordinator for BMUST. “We really have LAP to thank for helping to get that ball rolling.”
Now, they’re building on the goodwill that win created to launch another campaign about new hires.
“We’re anticipating significant turnover in the next five years. Up to 20 percent of our team will be eligible to retire, including some building and central administrators. This could really affect the face of our district,” said Brandofino.
The local’s LAP team wants to push for a more uniform and codified process for hiring and training and ensure that the union has a meaningful voice in those conversations, Brandofino said.
This past year, the East Williston Teachers Association successfully negotiated paid parental leave into their contract, and now they are turning their attention to other pressing matters.
The local is concerned about declining enrollments; this year, the Long Island school district had a graduating class of 150 students, but only 80 incoming kindergarten students, a 46 percent decrease over the next 12 years. To stave off potential budget cuts, the third year local has been exploring ways to drive long-term cost saving measures in their district, including a solar program.
East Williston TA member and LAP coordinator Dena Ebstein said lessons learned at LAP have been formative to their efforts. “We have learned so much about NYSUT, and how much we gain from being part of it,” Ebstein said. “We are really embedding so much of what we learn into our year to benefit our district.”
Ebstein said LAP has also made her and her team feel empowered.
“You walk out of here feeling extremely inspired,” Ebstein said. “I remember leaving Year One being like, ‘I am Union!’”
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