NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin, who recently marked four decades of dedicated service as an educator and union activist, told fellow board members in late September that he will be retiring as a NYSUT officer in January.
Following his announcement, NYSUT Board members and fellow officers honored Lubin with a prolonged standing ovation that reflected the deep respect he has earned in his years as a union leader - first at the United Federation of Teachers in New York City and then at the helm of NYSUT's legislative and political action department.
Lubin came to Albany in 1993 after 26 years as an educator and elected leader of the UFT. During his tenure, Lubin built up NYSUT's grassoots political network, as well as VOTE-COPE, the union's voluntary political action fund. A well known and influential figure at the capitol, Lubin has helped bring forward landmark legislation, including the permanent cost-of-living adjustment law for retired public employees, the Schools Against Violence in Education law and the bill mandating that every state public school have a defibrillator available. After bringing tens of thousands of activists to Albany for an historic March for Public Education in 2003, Lubin helped convince lawmakers to override a series of painful vetoes and restore state education aid.
Lubin is also well known for his expertise on health care reform, Medicare rights and his ability to build bridges with the business community, serving as a founder and co-chair of the Business and Labor Coalition of New York.
He is known for his commitment to civil rights and to solidarity with other unions, and led an initiative to strengthen NYSUT outreach in hiring a strong and diverse staff.
Watch New York Teacher for a full tribute in the coming months.