The Professional Staff Congress increased pressure on CUNY in past month for a new contract and intended to continue with its strategy. On Nov. 4, the PSC, the union representing more than 25,000 faculty and staff in CUNY, demonstrated in front of CUNY’s central office. Fifty-three members sat in front of the building’s door and, consequently, were arrested. However, CUNY gave its first offer to the union on the same day. The proposed contract, from 2010 to 2016, would increase total wages by six percent. PSC President Barbara Bowen rejected it and sent an email to members saying, if accepted, CUNY staff would earn the lowest salary increases among all…
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PSC meeting details upcoming actions
The Professional Staff Congress held a mass meeting Nov. 19 at The Cooper Union about current contract negotiations and its plans for the next few months. CUNY professors and staff are working without a contract since 2010. The PSC, which represents more than 25,000 members, is negotiating with CUNY to obtain one. Over the past 18 months, the union and management held 23 collective bargaining sessions with CUNY. In recent months, however, the union increased pressure against CUNY by planning a strike authorization vote and demonstrating in front of the university’s central office on Nov. 4, where 53 members were arrested. Michael Fabricant, first vice president of the PSC, explained…
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CUNY union considering strike as contract talks stall
The Professional Staff Congress may use a tactic never used in the history of the union—the strike. While the union told its members it would not plan a strike, it would consider authorizing its use through a vote in the future if it does not receive a contract offer from CUNY. In fact, Barbara Bowen, president of the PSC, sent a message to members that authorization of striking did not mean it would use the tactic. “I want to be clear: the PSC leadership is not calling for a strike. We are doing everything we can to reach a fair contract settlement without the need to strike. But given CUNY management’s continued failure to secure…
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Almost six years later, no contract for CUNY union
The last time CUNY faculty and staff worked with a contract? 2010. The last time they saw a pay raise? 2009. After another year without progress in contract negotiations, the Professional Staff Congress, the union representing all CUNY staff, told its members to prepare for actions this fall—including “disruptive mass action.” Barbara Bowen, president of the PSC, wrote an email to all members on Aug. 27 about stalled negotiations and, consequently, upcoming actions for a contract. She blamed James Milliken, CUNY chancellor, for failing to “offer a single dollar for raises or back-pay” since his appointment last year. “We have all been patient long enough. Starting on this first day…
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CUNY professors and staff remain without contract after 5 years
All employees of CUNY, from professors to staff members, are still working without a contract as negotiations continue to stall. The last contract was conceived in 2006 and lasted until 2010. CUNY officials pledged to make a deal last semester, but nothing came of it. Francis Clark, communications director of the Professional Staff Congress, said CUNY faculty and staff need a contract in order to help both professors and students. “CUNY is in danger of not being able to offer the rich education our students deserve. The faculty and professional staff represented by the PSC have worked for four years without a contract and five years without a contractual raise,” Clark…
