NYSUT activists rally for New Deal for Higher Education, with broad support from voters
ALBANY, N.Y. March 9, 2023 — Declaring that New York’s public higher education institutions strengthen the state’s workforce and create opportunity so students can get ahead, more than 500 New York State United Teachers’ activists rallied today in support of a New Deal for Higher Education. “Our SUNY, CUNY and…
Unions, lawmakers urge billions more for SUNY and CUNY in budget
Labor unions and several lawmakers are insisting the state invest billions of more dollars in the upcoming budget to support SUNY and CUNY campuses and hospitals, pushing back against the proposed tuition hikes in Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposal. The state teacher's union, United University Professions and CUNY's union rallied with…
Who should bear the cost of upgrading SUNY and CUNY? Hochul says students are part of the answer
In recent years, New York’s public colleges, which educate some 600,000 New Yorkers, have suffered a slew of financial problems and declining enrollment, caused in part by the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed tuition hikes for SUNY and CUNY campuses as a way to mitigate the financial challenges,…
CUNY faculty demand raises, work flexibility
City University of New York employees are seeking a new contract with higher pay and more flexibility in their schedules, the president of the union that represents around 30,000 CUNY faculty and staff said Tuesday. As inflation and the cost of living in the city rise, employees are hoping to…
Baruch students protest proposed CUNY and SUNY tuition hike
Members of Baruch College’s Undergraduate Student Government organized a protest against Governor Hochul’s proposed 3% tuition increase for CUNY and SUNY schools on Feb. 21. Protestors also called for the passage of the New Deal For CUNY, a bill that would return CUNY’s tuition-free status — which lasted from its…
Opinion: New Deal for CUNY must pass this year
As two newly elected representatives of Queens in the New York State Assembly, one of our top legislative priorities was to sign on as cosponsors of the New Deal for CUNY as soon as we could. Why? Because the campuses of the community colleges and the senior colleges of the…
CUNY union demands raises, equity in new contract: Tight fiscal environment
As part of its previous contract, the Professional Staff Congress was able to raise the minimum pay for adjuncts at the City University of New York to $5,500 per course. With that 2019 labor agreement now expired, the union is seeking to build on that progress. The union’s president, James…
Hundreds of CUNY Faculty and Staff Rally to Demand New Contract, Real Raises
With their union contract set to expire the next day, almost 500 CUNY faculty and staff rallied outside CUNY’s Midtown headquarters Monday morning to take their demands for a new contract straight to management’s front door. The Professional Staff Congress (PSC) – the union representing 30,000 faculty and staff at…
CUNY Union Rallies for New Contract Amid Push for Additional State Budget Investment
City University of New York faculty, staff, and students marched outside CUNY Central headquarters in East Midtown early Monday morning, in a nearly 500 person-strong rally organized by the Professional Staff Congress – the union representing over 30,000 CUNY employees. The rally was scheduled for the eve of the expiration…
PSC-CUNY Rallies for Better Working Conditions
The Professional Staff Congress (the union representing faculty members) held a protest outside CUNY Central on Feb 27, the day before their contract expired. The union’s bargaining agenda is taking into consideration the impact that COVID-19 had on union members and students. These include learning to shift modalities from in-person…