FROM THE DESK OF PRESIDENT DEB PETERSON JULY/AUG 2015
“IT’S A BRAVE NEW WORLD…or is it”
It’s been a perfect storm, so to speak, that has resulted in forward strides tempered with “dancing backward.” First, in April 2014, Karen Magee, a 30 year veteran elementary teacher from the Harrison Central Schools, was elected NYSUT's first woman President. Karen brought with her a vision for a stronger, more transparent and vocal union.
Under her leadership, the membership plays a more vital role. 
She has focused on mobilizing the rank-and-file members and intensifying organizing efforts. She runs our organization “…from the bottom up.” Karen Magee is a “fierce advocate and leading labor voice representing NYSUT's 600,000 members,” 1/3 of which are retirees, who work or have worked “in education, health care and human services.” NYSUT Retiree Council 43 is very lucky and honored to have Karen Magee as our Keynote Speaker at this year’s Annual Conference.
(See Registration information http://rc43.ny.aft.org/presidents-desk/desk-president-deb-peterson-fall-2015-rc-43-conference )
OBERGEFELL v. HODGES: In 2013, the NYSUT Visibility and Outreach Committee of the LGBTQ Educators’ Task force charged “…other New York state unions and associations, to engage their membership and disseminate LGBTQ information in positive and supportive ways.” The committee created a social media campaign including Facebook and Twitter, as well as a NYSUT dedicated webpage to support and engage the LGBTQ educator community in New York State. The committee advocated for the inclusion of two articles in the NYSUT United December 2014/January 2015 edition and is working with NYSUT member benefits to ensure that LGBTQ educators and their families are represented in both the publicity and the services provided by the Member Benefits Trust to all NYSUT
members. 
On June 26, 2015, NYSUT released the following statement about the Supreme Court’s Marriage Equality Decision: NYSUT applauds today’s Supreme Court ruling in favor of marriage equality nationwide, a decision that is the culmination of a fight for justice over several decades by brave lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocates and their allies.
Across the country, LGBTQ workers aren’t treated fairly. In too many states, they can be fired based solely on their sexual orientation or gender identity. They experience harassment and discrimination on the job. They earn less than their straight co-workers and they don’t have equal access to benefits like health care. This decision is a tremendous step forward but there is so much more work to be done. For too long, lesbian and gay Americans have been denied the right to marry the person they love. Today, all of us can celebrate this amazing step forward and commit to continuing to be on the frontlines of the fight for equality” for all.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law on July 2nd in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. After nearly half a century of legal campaigning, a decade of nonviolent civil disobedience, and years of voter campaigns and community building, the federal government passed the most important civil rights legislation since the abolition of slavery in 1865. Businesses were now required to provide equal services to customers of all races and creeds. Discriminatory hiring acts were illegal, and an agency was formed to assist African Americans with discrimination problems in their communities. Another half century later, New York State United Teachers condemned the violence that claimed the lives of nine people attending a prayer meeting Wednesday night at a church in Charleston, S.C. "We are deeply saddened by the horrific event that took place inside the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Once again, a place that should be a safe haven for all has become a tragic scene of random violence. Hatred of race and religion - which continues to be an issue plaguing our country - is unacceptable and must end, once and for all. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Charleston and, most especially, to the victims and their families.”
Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association: The leaders of five major unions issued a statement on June 30 expressing their disappointment with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to hear a case that challenges fees non-union members pay.
"We are disappointed that at a time when big corporations and the wealthy few are rewriting the rules in their favor, knocking American families and our entire economy off-balance, the Supreme Court has chosen to take a case that threatens the fundamental promise of America—that if you work hard and play by the rules you should be able to provide for your family and live a decent life," AFT President Randi Weingarten, NEA President Lily Eskelsen García, CTA President Eric C. Heins, AFSCME President Lee Saunders and SEIU President Mary Kay Henry said in a joint statement.
Moving forward…or dancing backward?