Members marching to CUNY headquarters, to demand a contract with CUNY that lifts pay for faculty and staff and for part-timers and full-timers. (Credit: Erik McGregor)
From Left: Comptroller Brad Lander, City Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Assembly Member Harvey Epstein. (Credit: Erik McGregor)
PSC First Vice President Andrea Vásquez leads members in singing. (Credit: Erik McGregor)
Resistance Revival Choir. (Credit: Erik McGregor)
Radical Evolution. (Credit: Erik McGregor)
Members cheering the speakers decrying the historic underfunding of CUNY and calling for a New Deal for CUNY. (Credit: Paul Frangipane)
Nearly 1,000 PSC members and supporters gathered outside Governor Kathy Hochul’s Manhattan office and marched to CUNY’s headquarters on December 2 to deliver a message: CUNY is a central economic engine for New York City, and it needs full funding.
The theme of this year’s end-of-semester show of force was a “sing out, shout out” for robust funding for the University in the next state budget agreement and a contract with CUNY that delivers equitable raises, increased promotional opportunities, flexible work schedules and much more. While state budget agreements under Governor Hochul have been better for CUNY than under her predecessor, the University needs more investment in the coming years to make up for decades of disinvestment, PSC members and their supporters said. “CUNY is a jewel that needs to be polished over and over,” Public Advocate Jumaane Williams told the crowd.
Members from all around the union – full-time faculty, principal officers, adjunct faculty, professional staff – as well as students and elected officials, also spoke.
The event featured performances from Radical Evolution, the New York City Labor Chorus, musicians from the American Federation of Musicians Local 802, Resistance Revival Choir, the Rude Mechanical Orchestra and, of course, the spirited members of the PSC, including PSC First Vice President Andrea Vásquez.
Published: December 21, 2023
