Joyce Cassidy, Chair, Political Action Committee
To get ahead of the Westchester County legislative elections this year, Jim Werner, Deirdre Verne, and Joyce Cassidy spent two days interviewing twenty-five current and prospective Westchester County Legislators.
With support from NYSUT’s Emiljana Ulaj, candidates were sent four questions and invited to participate in a live interview to expand on their responses. The candidates were asked:
How can the County and WCCFT collaborate to support College and Union priorities, including academic services, full-time hiring, and fair compensation?
How might the current political climate impact the College as a Hispanic Serving Institution, and how can the County assist?
How can the County help create a healthier balance between full- and part-time faculty and improve adjunct working conditions?
Are legislators willing to advocate for appointing a College Board of Trustees member with a labor background when the next vacancy arises?
It is worth noting that for a future College Board of Trustees vacancy, every candidate was in favor of supporting a candidate with some experience in organized labor.
After reading written responses and conducting live interviews, the following candidates have been endorsed by the WCCFT Executive Committee:
|
District 1 – Colin Smith (D) – Member of Budget and Appropriations Committee – Legislator Smith wants to meet with the WCCFT as many times as needed to foster transparency and shared goals. He is in favor of increasing baseline funding to help College reach priorities, and wishes to be proactive to prepare students and staff for potential changes which may include drafting a resolution in support of our designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. He is interested in digging into the numbers to ensure the approved headcount in the budget does not result in unfilled vacancies.
|
|
District 2 – Erika Pierce (D) – Member of Budget and Appropriations Committee. Legislator Pierce is eager to be informed as much and as early as possible about budgetary items that will be helpful to promote positive change. She is committed to advocate for programs to help our immigrant students as budgeting becomes more difficult. She is a strong advocate for improved ratios of full- time vs. part-time faculty, is eager to see improved compensation for adjunct faculty and expressed concerns about not raising tuition at the cost of fair wage increments.
|
|
District 3 – Margaret Cunzio (R) – Unopposed – As an Adjunct Professor in higher education, Legislator Cunzio fully understands the needs of faculty including fair compensation and long-term stability. Although she does not draft our budget, she is highly committed to ensuring our resources are allocated properly and will take every opportunity to speak to ensure we thrive. She assures us that Hispanic and immigrant students are vital to our community, and she will work to ensure WCC has the resources and stability to serve all students effectively. She advised us to keep communications ongoing with her.
|
|
District 4 – Vedat Gashi (D) – As Chair of the Board, Legislator Gashi is working to receive College Budget earlier to have a more meaningful impact in the process. He encouraged us to reach out often to notify the legislators on any current or coming issues. As a former undocumented immigrant, he is committed to helping our students and was instrumental in hosting a “Know Your Rights” session.
|
|
District 5 – Jenn Puja (D) (Primary) – Jenn Puja highly recommends strong collaboration and regular communications regarding issues at hand and also encourages engaging early in the budget process. As Executive Director of the WPCLB AFL CIO, she has a longstanding record of advocating for the rights of workers and improved working conditions. She especially expressed interest in learning from union leadership how best to help strike a balance between full- and part-time faculty positions. As White Plains Councilwoman, she is fully committed to ensuring our students are in a safe and inclusive space and highlights numerous resources for all to “Know Your Rights” and to help stop stigmas related to mental health.
|
|
District 6 – Nancy Barr (D) – Member of Budget and Appropriations Committee – Legislator Barr has met faculty in the past to learn of our concerns and will continue to do so. She is highly concerned about the welfare of her constituents as a large portion of her constituents are Hispanic. She was co-sponsor and is a full supporter of Westchester’s Immigration Protection Act, and will work with state and federal partners to safeguard rights. As a former Board of Education member, she is in favor of a better balance between full- and part-time faculty and for fair compensation. She suggests periodic updates and interaction with the BOL committee on Human Rights and Labor Relations.
|
|
District 7 – Anant Nambiar (D) – Mr. Nambiar encouraged an open line of communication with the WCCFT to raise and discuss issues. He is interested in a timely review of the budget and greater transparency on key financial issues to ensure the sharing of concerns. He wants metrics to be used to support a better balance between full- and part-time faculty. As he comes from a family of full-time and adjunct faculty, he understands the roles of both and values adequate terms of employment and security. As an immigrant born in India, he understands the importance of education on the trajectory of one’s life and will work to increase awareness and trust in WCC for current high school students.
|
|
District 8 – Jewel Williams Johnson (D) – Member Budget and Appropriations Committee- Legislator Williams Johnson urges union members to attend and speak at their board meetings well in advance of the review of the College’s budget. She supports our effort for fairer employment conditions; she will advocate and would like to plan for a better balance between full- and part-time faculty positions. She views WCC’s designation as Hispanic Serving Institution as a point of pride and responsibility and will use her voice to ensure the College remains a welcoming place.
|
|
District 9 – Emiljana Ulaj (D) – Legislator Ulaj urges the WCCFT to engage with the Board of Legislators more regularly and not only during contract years. She suggests a push for greater transparency in the budget process to ensure full-time faculty positions are being filled. She believes adjuncts should have thriving wages, dignified benefits, and job stability, and she welcomes updates during negotiations so that legislators may advocate for members. She reminded us that the County adopted the Immigrant Protection Act and she will be vocal to ensure reserves and enhanced revenue streams are used rather than diminishing services.
|
|
District 10 – Judah Holstein (D) – Unopposed- Member of Budget and Appropriations Committee- Legislator Holstein has been a supporter of the faculty and does not want adjuncts to be used for budget gaps and as substitutes for long-term positions. He will raise concerns during budget meetings and push for transparency and better support for faculty and student success. He is concerned by immigrant students stepping away from school due to fear and uncertainty, and he will work toward a coordinated and compassionate response so every student has a clear path forward through education.
|
|
District 11 – Terry Clements (D) – Majority Whip – As a former educator and Adjunct faculty member, Legislator Clements understands the needs of faculty. She is interested to see the budget prioritize support services for students, hiring additional full-time faculty and fair increases for adjuncts. She would like to support negotiations that include some form of healthcare benefits for all employees. She believes the County and State need to support our Hispanic student body and residents and suggests students carry a Know Your Rights Card.
|
|
District 12 – David Imamura (D) – Legislator Imamura expresses concern that we lagged behind in tuition increases and may need to consider further increases to ensure faculty are compensated adequately. He believes adjuncts are exploited professionals and now that the contract has been settled he’d like to discuss how best to improve conditions for adjunct faculty. He would like to assist non-citizens facing deportation and suggests that WCC adhere to the County’s Immigrant Protection Act.
|
|
District 13 – Tyrae Woodson-Samuels (D) -Unopposed – Majority Leader and Member of Budget and Appropriations Committee – Legislator Woodson-Samuels was emphatically available to listen to our ideas and concerns and is seeking greater collaboration to ensure communication and trust. He will push for investments in academic support, full-time hiring and fair compensation as core priorities-not afterthoughts. He strongly believes that quality education begins by respecting the people that provide it. He will use his voice to protect funding, expand culturally responsive support systems, and stand against policies that jeopardize our students’ futures or safety.
|
|
District 14 – David Tubiolo (D) – Member of Budget and Appropriations Committee – Legislator Tubiolo is a firm believer in communication and has made himself available for discussions at any time. He would like to discuss in detail how to best address the imbalance of full- and part-time faculty positions and adjunct compensation. He voted/passed the Immigration Protection Act and believes students should not be attending school in fear while they are working to improve their lives.
|
|
District 15 – James Nolan (R) – Unopposed – Legislator Nolan is a firm believer in open dialogue between Unions and the Legislators. As a former WCC student and believer in Unions, he is supportive of our needs for fair compensation. As a member of the Labor and Human Rights Committee, he suggests participation with their committee to help with student and faculty needs.
|
|
District 16 – Shanae Williams (D) – Unopposed – Member of Budget and
Appropriations Committee – Legislator Williams is a strong believer in ongoing communications formally and informally to fully understand the needs of students and educators. She will push for a greater transparent and collaborative approach to the budget process to ensure our priorities are integrated from the onset. She will support best strategies to improve working conditions for adjunct faculty and call for investments backed by data and measurable outcomes to support additional full- time faculty positions. She will advocate for funding and partnerships that enhance the College’s ability to offer wraparound services if needed for immigrant and first-generation students and she expressed concern that if students do not have support and stability needed to continue their education, it can lead to greater issues in our economy. |
|
District 17 – Jose Alvarado (D) – Unopposed – Vice Chair of Board – Legislator Alvarado is a strong advocate for discussions to happen with the budget committee long before the submission of the budget. Improved working conditions for faculty have to be presented in the budget since it is always about funds. He is committed to working together to address immigrant students’ fears. In addition to engaging with the County Budget Committee, he also suggested it would be beneficial for us to engage with the Labor and Human Rights Committee.
|
