In the latest round of contract negotiations, the PSC bargaining team chose to invite all members to observe all bargaining sessions. With the goal of winning the strongest possible contract, we believed that when members showed up, it would – in addition to other tactics we employ – show CUNY that we are a unified and determined body. The PSC has had member presenters and observers in past rounds of bargaining. But more recently, across the country, we’ve seen increased openness with good results. In addition to being a sign of strength when members sit face-to-face with CUNY management, we felt that it would be meaningful and supportive to the bargaining team itself to have members in the room as much as possible. Finally, we wanted PSC members to see and hear firsthand what CUNY management had to say about our bargaining agenda, our union and our members – their employees.
PSC members gather before a bargaining session. (Credit: Paul Frangipane)
MEMBER POWER
With many new administrators at the helm of CUNY and its bargaining team, it was especially important to introduce them to the PSC’s bargaining agenda, demand by demand. What better way to do that than to ask members themselves to speak to our vision for a better workplace and a better CUNY? So members from all titles presented our agenda during the initial sessions; member observers attended all of those early sessions and have kept showing up each and every time since then. Other unions have reported to us about the difficulty of sustaining observer participation over time, but that has not been our experience. Over the course of 32 bargaining sessions as of this writing, around 450 PSC members have attended a contract negotiation session as observers, some attending numerous times.
Only dues-paying members are invited, and each was first required to attend one of the 29 observer orientations the union has offered since June of 2023. Members arrive half an hour before the three-to-four-hour session and stay at least half an hour after to debrief with the bargaining team. Each observer gives their valuable time and spends most of a day with us at the bargaining table. For professional staff, it’s an even greater commitment, since we need to use a personal day to be there.
More than anything else, we all would have wanted to have a strong ratified contract by now. Instead, we are escalating the campaign, and we need all members on board and contributing in some way to the struggle. To all of you who attended a bargaining session: Thank you, on behalf of the bargaining team. You have moved us, advised us, engaged us and influenced us. From you, we have heard insights, thanks, responses, applause and concerns. How could we stay so calm? How could CUNY not understand why adjuncts deserve job security? How outrageous that they expect us not to talk about racial justice. How can they say we shouldn’t talk about inflation when we see some of their big raises exceed inflation? When will we see something about remote work in the contract? Where are our equity raises that bring up the lowest paid? How can CUNY say our faculty are paid competitive salaries when we cannot hire people because they get better offers elsewhere? In our debrief sessions, we have had such rich conversations that one first-time observer recently said, “This feels like a real community here today. It feels like a great union meeting.”
MORE TO DISCUSS
There is so much more for us to discuss about bargaining in our chapter meetings and other union meetings, but the main thing we all know is that we’re not yet satisfied, and we’re not yet finished. It is always important to engage more and more members during a contract campaign, and attending bargaining sessions has proven to be an effective way of doing that. We have had nonmembers join the union so they could see how we bargain a contract. And we have seen many new faces at rallies, on picket lines and at union meetings as a result of members’ experiences at bargaining sessions.
When we first invited members into bargaining, I didn’t imagine how rewarding it would be for me, for the team, for members. After CUNY negotiators leave the room, we turn around and see you, and you have our backs. Sometimes stunned, sometimes frustrated, sometimes furious, we look at each other, and then break into dialogue. And now, 18 months after our contract expired and with too little movement from CUNY, it’s time for greater action, greater determination and greater numbers. At every upcoming bargaining session, we need you to show up and shout out for the contract we deserve. Now is the time to escalate, strengthened by the experience of our many member observers throughout this campaign.
Published: October 29, 2024
