STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — More than 30,000 faculty and staff at City University of New York (CUNY) colleges have ratified a new contract to get raises and support student access.
The agreement between the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) and the CUNY administration — which runs through 2027 — includes 13.4% minimum raises with nearly two years of back pay, a $3,000 ratification bonus, and additional “equity” increases in salary for CUNY’s lowest-paid titles.
It will impact staff at CUNY’s campuses across New York City, including the College of Staten Island (CSI) in Willowbrook.
It was approved by the CUNY Board of Trustees on Dec. 16, and was ratified by 90% of voting members on Monday. It runs retroactively from March 1, 2023, through Nov. 30, 2027.
“The significant gains in this contract are the result of PSC members’ solidarity and action,” said James Davis, PSC president and professor of English at Brooklyn College. “Thousands of union members were active in the campaign to demand raises, equity, and respect. A 90% vote for ratification shows that an overwhelming majority of members know that this contract will make CUNY a better place to work and learn.”
The contract improves the pay and working conditions of full- and part-time faculty and staff at CUNY, PSC stated.
Salaries will increase by a minimum of 13.4%, while adjunct faculty, graduate workers, and faculty and staff in CUNY’s lowest-paid full-time titles will receive additional equity pay.
The minimum adjunct pay for a three-credit course will increase 29% throughout the life of the contract, from $5,500 to $7,100. Other titles receiving equity raises will see salaries increase by as much as 43%, while those at the top of their salary schedules will see increases.
“Every day our talented faculty and staff members put CUNY’s mission — to provide an exceptional public higher education to anyone who seeks one — into action,“ said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “This contract reflects the university’s commitment to these hardworking and dedicated individuals and will ultimately benefit CUNY’s students.
Enhancements in the contract will strengthen faculty and staff and support student success, including investments to improve supplementary health benefits, expansion of Paid Parental Leave from 8 weeks to 12 weeks, protections against outsourcing of teaching to artificial intelligence (AI), new paths to promotion, and additional support for research and professional development, according to PSC.
The contract also includes a revised multi-year appointment pilot program for teaching adjuncts. It provides two-year appointments with a discretionary third year.
For a comprehensive summary of the agreement, visit PSC-CUNY.org/TA.
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