Conference Leader: "Merger Special"
Item
Conference Leader
Major News Developments and Official Positions of the Legislative Conference
Volume |, Number 10 / March 31, 1972
Merger Special
The Governing Board of the Conference
and the Executive Board of the UFCT
voted March 28 to approve and recommend
ratification of an LC-UFCT merger
agreement. The LC vote was 40-3; the
UFCT vote was unanimous with 3
abstentions.
SIGNIFICANCE
If approved by our memberships, the
merger would unite the CUNY instruction-
al staff for the first time, create the
largest, strongest collective bargain-
ing organization in American higher
education, give us the muscle of both
NEA and AFT, and hopefully allow us to
start negotiating a new contract soon.
TERMS
The terms of the agreement (enclosed)
are broad. The object of negotiators on
both sides was to hammer out the basic
principles of a merger agreement, with-
out getting bogged down in all the
details, so that contract negotiations
can be initiated promptly.
WHAT'S NEXT
The merger must be approved by the
memberships of both existing organiza-
tions and by their parent affiliates.
REFERENDUM
Ballots will be mailed to all members
of both organizations April 3. All mem-
bers of record as of that date will be
eligible to vote. Along with the
ballots will be the merger terms and
NYSTA*NEA
LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE / 11 WEST 42ND STREET /' NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10036 / 354-1252
our joint communique of March 29
(enclosed). Ballots will be due at the
LC office by noon Apri? 14 and counted
at 4 p.m. the same day.
AFTER MERGER
If. approved by both memberships and
affiliates, we will apply to PERB for
adoption of the UFCT petition for one
bargaining unit. Then we will set up a
joint negotiating committee and initi-
ate bargaining taiks with the Univer-
sity. And we will set up a constitution
and bylaws committee, work out govern-
ance and chapter structures and admini-
strative details like tne name of the
new organization (suggestions welcomed).
WHAT'S TO BE DONE AT THE CAMPUS LEVEL:
@ Suspend ali campaign activities.
@ Urge your members to ratify the
merger and to get their ballots back to
the LC office on time.
e Recruit new members. Unity should
remove the objection of many to joining
either organization. By joining now,
they will automaticaliy become members
of the merged organization if the mer-
ger is ratified. Our strength in the
upcoming negotiations will depend on
the number of members we represent.
© Continue the sabbatical drive: get
people to write, wire or phone legisia-
tors to defeat the moratorium bills.
@ Consult your members on the chapter
structure they would like to see
implemented upon ratification, in the
spirit of. Item 6 of the agreement.
ESE SRP ER
Major News Developments and Official Positions of the Legislative Conference
Volume |, Number 10 / March 31, 1972
Merger Special
The Governing Board of the Conference
and the Executive Board of the UFCT
voted March 28 to approve and recommend
ratification of an LC-UFCT merger
agreement. The LC vote was 40-3; the
UFCT vote was unanimous with 3
abstentions.
SIGNIFICANCE
If approved by our memberships, the
merger would unite the CUNY instruction-
al staff for the first time, create the
largest, strongest collective bargain-
ing organization in American higher
education, give us the muscle of both
NEA and AFT, and hopefully allow us to
start negotiating a new contract soon.
TERMS
The terms of the agreement (enclosed)
are broad. The object of negotiators on
both sides was to hammer out the basic
principles of a merger agreement, with-
out getting bogged down in all the
details, so that contract negotiations
can be initiated promptly.
WHAT'S NEXT
The merger must be approved by the
memberships of both existing organiza-
tions and by their parent affiliates.
REFERENDUM
Ballots will be mailed to all members
of both organizations April 3. All mem-
bers of record as of that date will be
eligible to vote. Along with the
ballots will be the merger terms and
NYSTA*NEA
LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE / 11 WEST 42ND STREET /' NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10036 / 354-1252
our joint communique of March 29
(enclosed). Ballots will be due at the
LC office by noon Apri? 14 and counted
at 4 p.m. the same day.
AFTER MERGER
If. approved by both memberships and
affiliates, we will apply to PERB for
adoption of the UFCT petition for one
bargaining unit. Then we will set up a
joint negotiating committee and initi-
ate bargaining taiks with the Univer-
sity. And we will set up a constitution
and bylaws committee, work out govern-
ance and chapter structures and admini-
strative details like tne name of the
new organization (suggestions welcomed).
WHAT'S TO BE DONE AT THE CAMPUS LEVEL:
@ Suspend ali campaign activities.
@ Urge your members to ratify the
merger and to get their ballots back to
the LC office on time.
e Recruit new members. Unity should
remove the objection of many to joining
either organization. By joining now,
they will automaticaliy become members
of the merged organization if the mer-
ger is ratified. Our strength in the
upcoming negotiations will depend on
the number of members we represent.
© Continue the sabbatical drive: get
people to write, wire or phone legisia-
tors to defeat the moratorium bills.
@ Consult your members on the chapter
structure they would like to see
implemented upon ratification, in the
spirit of. Item 6 of the agreement.
ESE SRP ER
Title
Conference Leader: "Merger Special"
Description
In this leaflet, the Legislative Conference (LC) announces that their merger with the United Federation of College Teachers (UFCT) had been approved by the governing boards of both organizations, and that it now would be submitted to the memberships for a vote. In the subsequent referendum, the merger was overwhelmingly supported by the members of both organizations and the new union, the Professional Staff Congress/CUNY (PSC), came into existence in April 1972. Previously, the rival groups coexisted at CUNY with the LC representing full time instructors and staff and the UFCT part-time faculty, staff, and lecturers. Their merging would be a contentious one as leadership from both groups would struggle to wrest control of the PSC in its early years.
Creator
Legislative Conference
Date
March 31, 1972
Language
English
Rights
Obtained from Contributor - Copyright Unknown
Source
Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Original Format
Flier / Leaflet (1 or 2 page handout)
Legislative Conference. Letter. “Conference Leader: ‘Merger Special’.”, CUNY DIGITAL HISTORY ARCHIVE, accessed March 10, 2026, https://stephenz.tailc22a4b.ts.net/s/cdha/item/441