September 15, 2023
State Teachers Union NYSUT, issued a statement today, saying that there are 130 teacher unions around the state, that are still working without contracts. The state teachers union spokesman says, with the teacher shortage that’s been going on, and the decline in college students becoming teachers, this is a problematic situation. Wlea emailed NYSUT and asked if this was a problem in Steuben County. The NYSUT spokesperson said it is not an issue in Steuben.
See full statement below:
– As educators welcome students back to the classroom, around 130 local unions across the state are beginning the new school year working under expired contracts.
“As we have seen this year, workers across industries and across our country are standing up for their rights to fair pay and working conditions,” said NYSUT President Melinda Person. “It is well past time for districts to acknowledge the increasing demands of the education profession and agree to fair contracts that show they value and respect educators as hard-working, dedicated professionals. An investment in our educators and public schools is an investment in our students and communities.”
NYSUT represents approximately 1,600 local unions across New York state and reached agreements on hundreds of contracts with districts over the past year. The fulfillment of the state’s promise to fully fund Foundation Aid and the federal dollars from the American Recovery Plan helped foster a largely productive environment negotiating these contracts.
However, more than one hundred locals have still started the new school year working under expired contracts. The most egregious examples include the Lawrence Teachers’ Association, which has now been working for 13 years under an expired contract, and the Poughkeepsie Public School Teachers Association, which has been working for six years without a new contract.
As New York state and the nation face an unprecedented teacher shortage, it is more important than ever to make education an attractive profession through fair pay, benefits and workplace conditions. Since 2009, enrollment in New York’s teacher programs has declined by over 50%. Meanwhile, the NYS Retirement System projects that more than a third of New York’s teachers are eligible to, or will soon be eligible to, retire. Fair contracts are essential to attracting and retaining talented and capable educators in our public schools, the foundation of our communities.