Category Archives: Murphy News

SSEU 371 Honors Greg Mantsios and Arthur Cheliotes

On January 23rd, SSEU Local 371 bestowed its Charles S. Ensley Awards on NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a long-time supporter of SLU, Arthur Cheliotes, Chair of SLU’s Labor Advisory Board, and our own Dean Gregory Mantsios.

The “Mighty Mighty Union” holds this annual gala to fund-raise for the Charles S. Ensley Scholarship Foundation, named for the late president of SSEU 371. The Foundation awards $3,500 scholarships each year to union members seeking to further their education so that they can become more skilled, knowledgeable activists in the labor movement. On January 23rd, seven individuals received scholarships to attend SLU and pursue certificates, advanced certificates, or a master’s degree in Labor Studies.

Along with his daughter Andrea, Associate Deans Gladys Palma de Schrynemakers and Burt Sacks and a number of enthusiastic SLU staff were on hand to salute Dean Mantsios.

Congratulations!

Video: Beyond Resistance: A Progressive Immigration Agenda for 2020

On December 3rd, SLU held an evening forum entitled “Beyond Resistance: A Progressive Immigration Agenda for 2020,” as part of its ongoing #Election2020 program series.

Distinguished Professor Ruth Milkman moderated a panel discussion featuring Maribel Hernández Rivera, District Director for Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Muzaffar Chishti, director of the Migration Policy Institute at NYU Law; and SLU Distinguished Lecturer Deepak Bhargava, who was the longtime President and Executive Director of the Center for Community Change and Community Change Action. The forum was co-sponsored by the New York Immigration Coalition.

Hernández Rivera discussed the potential of migrants’ stories to shift public dialogue and educate more Americans about the crises immigrants face and the contributions they make. Chishti provided insider critiques of recent immigration policy failures and a balanced outlook about the specific proposals a new Democratic administration should prioritize. Bhargava spoke about the intersections between U.S. foreign policy and immigration policy, as well as how racism shapes public opinion and policy-making.

Missed the event or want to review the conversation? Check out the video above.

SLU Students In Action: Brian’s Story

By Brian Fleurantin, M.A. in Urban Studies Program

For the past year, I’ve been working as a Care Manager at Housing Works. In that time, I’ve worked with various clients across New York City assisting them with finding housing, access benefits, etc. It’s rewarding, yet challenging work. Beyond the daily challenges of work, various conditions I and my coworkers have experienced led to us working with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union to form a union and walking off our jobs on October 29th.

Being there in that moment, speaking at the rally, and discussing work-related issues with my co-workers has been an eye-opening experience for me. I’ve gotten to see firsthand what my fellow coworkers have gone through and have used the things I’ve learned at SLU to work in solidarity with my colleagues to fix our work environments. It’s been difficult, especially with management reverting to classic union-busting tactics, but we as workers have been able to counteract their tactics and show the truth of what’s going on. It’s also been amazing to see the support we’ve gotten outside of the company, from Public Advocate Jumaane Williams all the way up to U.S. Senator and recent presidential candidate Kamala Harris. I feel very proud to be standing in solidarity with my co-workers and union workers across the country and around the world.

Click on these links to learn more about our walk-out:

NEW DEADLINE: Spring 2020 Tuition Scholarship Application Now Open

DEADLINE HAS BEEN UPDATED TO JANUARY 9th, 2020

The CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU) is offering both continuing and new SLU students and LEAP to Teacher (LTT) students tuition assistance scholarships for the Spring 2020 semester. Scholarships will be awarded on a semester-by-semester basis by the SLU Scholarship Committee. Transcripts, financial aid information and enrollment will be reviewed to ensure recipients continue to meet scholarship eligibility requirements. Students must re-apply each semester to be considered for a scholarship for the next term.

Please read the application instructions and FAQ carefully and complete the application thoroughly. Pay attention to deadlines.  Deadlines are different for the SLU and the LEAP to Teacher scholarships. Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted nor reviewed.

APPLY HERE