Delegates on Friday passed a resolution to establish a task force charged with determining whether to maintain NYSUT's five officer positions.
The resolution, offered by United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew on behalf of the NYSUT Board, comes as the union - under a constitutional amendment adopted last year during NYSUT's Representative Assembly in Buffalo - was set to reduce the number of union officers from five to four by 2017.
Mulgrew, who noted that the amendment was adopted last year against a backdrop of financial challenges caused by state budget cuts and the passage of a revenue-restricting property tax cap, said creation of a task force is "the right thing to do."
He said he was proud of the deliberations surrounding the Board resolution in meetings earlier this week, adding that "the democratic process and debate is something so many organizations are afraid of. Having debate brings a stronger product for all."
NYSUT's Constitution and Bylaws Committee returned a non-concurrence vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that would have prohibited the officer reduction from moving forward.
Under the new resolution, the task force will assess maintaining five officer positions and then make a recommendation to the union's Board of Directors. The Board is then required to act prior to adoption of NYSUT's 2014-15 budget.
The resolution also calls on the NYSUT Board to appoint a new officer, keeping the number of posts at five, in the event of a vacancy before the task force recommendation is acted upon.