May 28, 2008

Chapter leaders briefed on budget battle

UUP chapter presidents, from right, Candace Merbler of UAlbany and Robert Rees of Alfred, and Purchase chapter member L. Eric Wildrick listen during a special chapter leaders meeting on the union’s drive to lift the state’s demand to SUNY to freeze nearly $110 million it receives from students and public hospital patients.

UUP President Phillip Smith updated the chapter leaders on the funding crisis. He said that the union’s public information campaign has succeeded in getting the word out. The campaign included meetings with the editorial boards of several newspapers, which led to editorials supporting UUP’s position in three major newspapers on Sunday, May 25th. The editorials against the spending freeze appeared in Newsday (Long Island), the Times Union (Albany) and Post-Standard (Syracuse).

“I can’t help but think that the media is pressuring the governor’s office to do the right thing,” Smith said.

Smith urged union members to continue sending faxes to the governor’s office through UUP’s Web site.