Second Vice President Ron Gross spoke to delegates Saturday afternoon at NYSUT’s RA following his re-election to the position. Gross spoke on the union’s One Job Should Be Enough campaign, launched this year “not only to draw attention to the fact that many of our members work multiple jobs to make ends meet, but to also provide the tools necessary for local leaders to negotiate contracts that will provide salaries to allow members to live with economic dignity,” he said.
Gross gave a shoutout to the thousands of NYSUT retirees who continue to support the work of the union decades after they have left their profession. “Our Union for Life philosophy was never more evident than seeing countless retirees supporting our fight to Fix Tier 6 and we are all indebted to them.”
He also noted the healthcare professionals and Collective Care teams that are engaging in training, organizing and advocacy. “Their voices are heard in board rooms and at bargaining tables as we fight for safer ratios, overtime limits and proper training,” Gross noted.
He also spoke of the natural beauty of New York that he has seen throughout his travels across the state, and the need to protect that beauty through democracy and action.
“As a teacher, I told my students that history isn’t just something that happened to people in paintings and black-and-white photos — it’s something we are actively writing,” said Gross. “We aren’t just witnesses to 2026, we are its authors.”
Gross ended his remarks by inviting his son, Ron Gross Jr. to lead delegates in a rousing rendition of “This Land is Your Land.”