NYSUT. Alan Lubin. 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.

Alan Lubin was elected executive vice-president of NYSUT in September 1993. This was after having been an officer in the United Federation of Teachers for 26 years. Lubin has been on NYSUT's Board of Directors since 1973 and a vice-president of the American Federation of Teachers since 1993.

As a NYSUT VP Lubin oversaw legislative and political action programs and was the secretary-treasurer of NYSUT's political action fund, VOTE-COPE. Other programs he was instrumental in were the permanent cost-of-living adjustment for public retirees (COLA), Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE), and the New York State legal mandate that all schools have defibrillators.

In 2006 Lubin was a co- founder, with Bruce Ventimiglia, of the Business and Labor Coalition of New York (BALCONY). The coalition was formed to foster cooperation and consensus between business and labor communities on public policy. As of 2012, Lubin and Ventimiglia are still co-chairs of the coalition.

Over the years Alan Luben has received numerous awards: In 2008 Lubin received an award as an outstanding partner in the Capital District (Albany, NY) AIDS Walk. In 2004 he was the recipient of the Carolyn Holmes Humanitarian Award from the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, the Champion of Labor Award from the New York state Democratic Party, and the "Advocate" Award from the New York state Chapter of the AFT Black Caucus. In 1999 he was awarded the UFT Charles Cogen Teacher Union Award. He won the Congressional Friends of Ellis Island Award in 1998.

Alan Lubin retired from NYSUT in January 2010.