From left, RC 10 President David Golden, Bonita Maxon, Deb Escobar, and Loretta Quigley. Photo by NYSUT Photographer Andrew Watson.
RC 10 Delegate Bonita Maxon, Alternate Delegates Loretta Quigley and Deb Escobar, and RC 10 President Dave Golden attended the NYSUT ED 51-53 meeting on October 24-25 at the Desmond Hotel in Albany. A large part of the proceedings included discussion and voting on proposed resolutions for consideration at the 2020 NYSUT RA. RC 10 submitted a resolution titled “NYSUT Urges the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System (NYSTRS) To Divest From GEO Group, Inc.” Much thanks to Loretta Quigley for crafting our proposed resolution, which asks for NYSTRS to divest from GEO which operates more than 130 prisons, immigration detention centers and community re-entry facilities in the US, and which has been the topic of great concern by human rights organizations for mistreatment and negligence of their detainees. The resolution was adopted by the delegates in attendance and will be considered at the 2020 NYSUT RA.
The resolution reads as follows:
NYSUT URGES THAT THE NEW YORK STATE TEACHERS' RETIREMENT SYSTEM (NYSTRS) DIVEST FROM GEO GROUP, INC.
Whereas, the GEO Group Inc. (GEO), a Florida based company, owns or operates more than 130 prisons, immigration detention centers and community re-entry facilities in the United States; and
Whereas, GEO has been accused of health and safety deficiencies by United States Immigration Customs Enforcement in some of its sites; and
Whereas, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, an inspection of a GEO group immigration detention facility discovered nooses hanging in cells as well as improper segregation; and
Whereas, Amnesty International has expressed great concern over reports of human rights violations in GEO faciliites; and
Whereas, the Uniteds Nations' Principles for Responsible Investment in
cludes the consideration of a company's environmental, social and governance impact when acquiring stock; and
Whereas, the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board has sold its shares in GEO because of its concern, in part, for the treatment of young people and children; and
Whereas, a company under investigation for questionable practices may put its shareholders' investments at risk; and
Whereas, in June 2019, Illinois became the first state to ban private immigration detention centers and, as of January 2020, California will ban for-profit prison and immigration detention centers in part because of health and safety deficiencies; and
Whereas, the California Public Employees Retirement System (CALPERS), the largest public pension fund in the United States is divesting from GEO; and
Whereas, the self-reporting on human rights abuses that the NYSTRS has requested from GEO is not monitored by an outside human rights entity and bears no consequences that have been stipulated; and
Whereas, NYSUT is an organization of caring professionals who continually prioritize the well-being of children and youth; and
Whereas, NYSUT members know the stress and trauma that abuse and mistreatment create, especially in children and young people; and therefore be it
RESOLVED, that NYSUT urge NYSTRS to divest its shareholdings in GEO and other similar private corrections industries.
Other resolutions approved at the meeting included:
- A proposal for NYSUT to encourage and promote training to Local leaders to understand and protect retiree benefits, and encourage consultation with retiree chapters and/or representatives.
- A resolution that NYSUT consider seeking legislation that would allow a member who qualifies for a disability pension due to an injury in the performance of their duty to receive a more appropriate disability pension.
- A resolution that NYSUT should work on behalf of their in-service and retired members to strongly lobby and urge the New York State Legislature and Governor to raise from 50% to 75% of CPI that is used to calculate the COLA: and be it further resolved, that the COLA be no less than 2% annually; and be it further resolved, that the COLA be applied to the first $30,000 of the retiree's maximum retirement benefit; and be it further resolved, that the number of years a retiree must wait before collecting a COLA be three years for all retirees.
- A resolution that NYSUT will seek legislation that will require medical insurance plans provide adequate and accessible coverage for mental and/or behavioral health diagnosis and treatment both for members and for all NYS residents; and be it further resolved, that NYSUT assist its locals with educating its members that they have the right to equitable access to mental and behavioral services; and be it furthe resolved, that NYSUT will encouarge its locals to bargain the inclusion of adequate and accessible mental and/or behavioral health coverage as part of a local's medical package.
Other topics presented at the At-Large Meeting included a presentation by NYSUT Director of Finance Jeff Lockwood, explaining financial best practices for retiree councils. Retiree councils are under the umbrella of NYSUT, thus their fiduciary responsibility is to act in the best interests of both their RC and NYSUT. Retiree Council members are asked to conform to NYSUT's Conflict of Interest Policy when acting on behalf of the Retiree Council. This policy prohibits compensation, gift, or gratuity greater than $250; insists on full disclosure of information; prevents conflicting positions (working for both the Retiree Council and someone doing business with the Council, for example); prohibits endorsement of any product or service; and prohibits a relationship with an outside business or entity that seeks to do business with the Retiree Council. Contracts must be between the Council and vendors only. The Retiree Council Treasurer must collect all funds, and will disburse appropriate stipends to the planner as allowed by the Retiree Council. Event planner(s) should never act as a travel agent. All commissions and gratuitites received by the Council have special IRS reporting requirements.
At the Election District 51 meeting, NYSUT Higher Ed and Retiree Political Organizer Peter Kim discussed the need to become politically active in the coming presidential election, and he shared an overview of some ways to become informed and involved regarding political events. It was also mentioned at the ED 51-53 At-Large Meeting, that the census will begin in March 2020, and will become crucially important in elections because the results will determine the number of delegates that New York State receives. One of the delegates mentioned that the Republican National Committee is sending out official-looking forms that look like census forms. Two hints that these are not official documents: 1) Many of the questions are about President Trump; 2) the document asks for a $15 donation. Census documents do not require payment of any kind. Please look for and return the official Census document as quickly as possible. Those that are not returned will require a follow-up visit to the household and will therefore cost taxpayers additional money.