Lilia Melani's commitment to our Union has moved her to run for office again. As a founder of the PSC, member of the first PSC Executive Committee, and member of several contract-negotiating committees, she finds it incomprehensible that contract negotiations can drag on for years and yet repeatedly be on the verge of settlement, as e-mails and Clarion articles have alleged. Action, not rhetoric, is needed. Lilia believes that the union should focus its energies and funds on the needs of CUNY faculty and staff - job security, salary, working conditions, the welfare fund, and health insurance, not on international conferences and union organizers in South America , as the New Caucus has done. Her union, civil liberties, and academic activities include: Participant in negotiations to form PSC, PSC Officer, Executive Committee Member, Central Grievance Committee Member, Contract Negotiating Committee Member, Brooklyn College Chapter Chairperson, Brooklyn College Delegate to the Delegate Assembly, Grievance Counselor at Brooklyn College, Founder and Coordinator of CUNY Women's Coalition.

Lilia organized the class action suit, Melani et Al. v. the BHE, the largest and most successful suit charging a university with sex discrimination (over $10 million was distributed among women faculty and staff and hundreds of women were promoted). Lilia served as Director of Freshman English at Brooklyn College and is the currently the Co-Coordinator of Writing Across the Curriculum.