NYSUT Field Services Department Files

New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) was created in 1972 by the merger of the New York State Teachers Association (NYSTA) and the United Teachers of New York (UTNY). NYSTA had been affiliated with the National Education Association (NEA), and UTNY with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). UTNY was the statewide organization whose United Federation of Teachers (UFT), led by Albert Shanker, was the predominant teachers' union in New York City. In joining with United Teachers and affiliating with the AFT, NYSUT also became a member union of the AFL-CIO.

In 1976, NYSUT voted to disaffiliate with the NEA. Some locals left NYSUT and created the NYEA (New York Educators Association), which became the state affiliate for the NEA. In the early 1980s, NYEA changed its name to NEA-NY.

NYEA/NEA- NY viewed association with the AFL-CIO's industrial unions as undermining the professional image and independence of teachers. The two organizations also differed strongly on aspects of the governance structure, particularly with respect to ethnic minority representation, with NYSUT opposed to mandatory minimums. The rivalry between NYSUT and NYEA/NEA-NY in organizing new locals expended a great deal of resources for both labor organizations.

While competition with NYEA/NEA-NY was a constant focus of NYSUT's organizing efforts for teachers, NYSUT was also organizing college faculty members, nurses, and other non-teaching personnel. Once members were organized, NYSUT continued to advocate for teachers' and other workers' rights through contract support and legal services at the local level and political involvement at the state and federal levels, supporting candidates and legislation that protected funding, due process, and working conditions.

NEA-N Y merged with NYSUT in 2006, by which time NYSUT had grown to more than half a million members, becoming the largest union in New York State.

NYSUT's Field and Legal Services Division provides direct services for members and locals through 16 regional offices, some 100 field representatives and a legal staff of 25 attorneys supported by approximately 50 administrative staff. It provides help with contract negotiation, enforcement of contract provisions by filing improper practice charges with the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) or court system, representing teachers in tenure challenges or misconduct charges, providing strike assistance, and organizing new locals, including university faculty and non-teaching personnel. Extensive training programs on leadership skills and public relations were coordinated by the division. For many years, occupational safety and health was a major focus of the field service, especially important as many schools were found to need asbestos remediation. Internal accountability was tightly controlled; monthly activity reports were provided from each regional office, and expenditures were scrutinized in detail by the central office.

Initially, the field service function was organized around UniServ, which was set up by the National Education Association (NEA) in 1970 to place one full-time field representative in a region for each 1,200 NEA members. The NEA and its state affiliates funded UniServ. NEA local associations participated in the hiring of the UniServ representatives, and determined the role of the representatives in their regions.

After the merger with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in 1972, NYSUT reorganized its structure, and the UniServ program was replaced by a negotiated block grant payment from the NEA to NYSUT to pay for a portion of the costs of the field service program.

In 1972, Vito DeLeonardis became NYSUT's first Executive Director, and was responsible for field and legal services. Ken Law was the Director of Field Services. Robert Allen was the Assistant Director for Administration in Field Services and Daniel McKillip was Assistant Director for Operations in Field Services.

In 1976, NYSUT voted to disaffiliate with the NEA, and lost some staff as a result. Dan McKillip and Ken Law left. Jim Conti became Assistant Director for Operations and Ray Ratte was Coordinator of Field Service Staff and Leadership Training. John O'Leary became Coordinator of Organizing in 1979.

The next major change in Field Services came in 1988 when Vito DeLeonardis retired and James Wood became the Executive Director. Robert Allen retired in 1998 and Pauline Kinsella replaced him as Director of Field Services. Jim Wood retired in 2003 as Executive Director and was replaced by Pauline Kinsella. In 2003, Mark Chaykin became Director of Field Operations.