Library Guides: CUNY Chief Librarians' Handbook of Best Practices: PSC-CUNY

Professional Staff Congress of CUNY

The PSC- CUNY is the union for CUNY faculty, which includes Library faculty members in the professorial titles as well as, Lecturers, Instructors, College Laboratory Technician, and Higher Education series. (Full and Part Time; both Permanent and Substitute) Obligations and Rights of faculty are defined by the PSC-CUNY Contract updated as renegotiated from time-to-time.

After the CUNY Board of Trustees' Bylaws, the Contract defines things such as workload, leaves, evaluation procedures and cycles/deadlines, professional development support among others.

Contract Sections Important for Library Faculty

Library Faculty members' rights are challenged re: parity when measured against other non-library faculty at CUNY. For this reason special sections of the Contract make accommodations as won in Contract negotiations. These pertain to Annual Leave definitions, "Reassigned Time" (A.K.A. research Leave) which is a substitute for the course releases that non-library faculty get while in tenure mode, Library Professional Reassignment Leave (which lends parity to the inequitable Annual Leave time afforded to Library Faculty in the Contract), and the timelines and procedures for proper annual evaluations and guidance given to faculty members.

Annual Leaves for Library Faculty
Sec. 14.3 and updates from MoA (p. 7) - All librarians get 40 days beyond University Holidays.
Faculty (Contractual) Reassigned Time
Sec 15.2 e. & f. - 24 Hours of contractual Reassigned Time is calculated to be equivalent to 30 weeks (average of three weeks per semester), of leave time to be used in years one through five of appointment on the professorial tenure track. (this time is for pursuit of scholarship.)
Annual Evaluation Procedures
Disciplinary Actions
Article 21 and MoA attachment #7 - procedures for removal or suspension with or without pay.
Professional Reassignment Leaves (Library Faculty) & Fellowship Leaves
Article 25 - Library Professional Reassignment Leave is a contractual right for up to 5 weeks per year of research leave separate from the contractual Reaasigned Time (Sec. 15). Library Faculty (Tenured) and Lecturers with Cert. of Continuous Employment) are also eligible for Fellowship Leaves (A.K.A. Sabbaticals) on par with non-library faculty members. (After completing six years of continuous paid full time service.)

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