Bargaining Updates 36 and 37

A tentative agreement could come into focus if CUNY management moves on some critical PSC demands. At the November 8th bargaining session, the PSC proposed a 66-month contract with retroactive pay and annual across-the-board raises of 3.5%. The union proposal also included salary equity increases for low-paid full- and part-time titles; an increased Welfare Fund contribution; additions to the top step of each full-time salary schedule; a one-time ratification bonus; and a lump-sum for HEOs and full-time CLTs who were on payroll during the pandemic. At the November 15th bargaining session, with 17 PSC members observing, CUNY management presented the union’s bargaining team with a comprehensive counter to PSC’s proposal of November 8. Their counter represented a significant improvement over their previous economic offer. Click here to read Bargaining Update 36 with the PSC’s proposal and other details. Click here to read Bargaining Update 37 with CUNY’s counter proposal.

Hundreds of PSC members have walked picket lines outside CUNY Central over the last month, as chapters and cross-campus titles have teamed up to keep the pressure on management for a fair contract. HEOs, CLTs and Brooklyn College faculty led a picket Wednesday, November 20th and the Committee for Adjuncts and Part-timers led another on Friday, November 22nd. Scabantha the Rat, an icon of NYC labor struggles, was on the line Wednesday to help call out CUNY management for their failures.

“Raises, Not Rats!” and “Money, Not Mold!” were among the signs at the Wednesday action, as faculty and staff demanded R-E-S-P-E-C-T, a fair contract, remote work, and a fully funded university with the resources to keep our campuses clean, safe and up-to-date. Demands for raises, pay equity, and job security with multi-year appointments were the driving messages at Friday’s adjunct picket. Stay tuned for the next round of updates and actions from the Bargaining Team!

The PSC joined our partners at Public Power New York to lead a rally on Wednesday, November 20th before a public hearing of the New York Power Authority (NYPA) at John Jay College. Under existing state law, NYPA is mandated to build enough public renewable energy to convert the entire grid to renewables by 2040, but their current draft plan is woefully insufficient.

We hosted a series of Decarbonize CUNY town halls over the course of this semester to build awareness and support for a clean energy transformation at CUNY and beyond. That energy was carried forward powerfully at Wednesday’s rally and hearing where dozens of PSC members demonstrated, chanted, and testified in support of publicly controlled, renewable energy on our campuses and called for an end to NYPA’s toxic “peaker plants” that pollute our communities.

PSC Environmental Justice Working Group co-chair Nancy Romer was the MC at Wednesday’s rally, and First Vice President Jen Gaboury spoke, along with elected officials and other community leaders. Watch video from the rally and PSC members’ testimony here. Members can still submit testimony to NYPA calling for a more ambitious plan at this link, and can see our info doc for talking points and background.

Just in time for gift-giving season, the PSC has launched a web store with brand-new shop exclusive t-shirts, mugs, and hats to show off your union pride. More items coming in the new year! All items are manufactured on demand, US-made and union-printed, and sold at cost. Your items will be shipped directly to your home!

PSC SWAG SHOP

Dues-paying PSC members can register for free student debt webinars hosted by our statewide affiliate, NYSUT, and led by Cambridge Credit Counseling. The webinars are designed to help you better understand the various student loan repayment options with a focus on Teacher Loan Cancellation and Public Student Loan Forgiveness programs. Click here to register for the next webinar on Tuesday, December 3 at 6:00PM and click here to sign up for notifications of upcoming student loan webinars.

Proceeds from ticket sales will help provide financial aid to CUNY students who demonstrate a commitment to social change and academic excellence. Individual tickets for PSC members are $125. The Fund was established by the PSC in 1979 and honors the PSC’s founding president, Belle Zeller, Professor Emerita of Political Science at Brooklyn College, where she taught for more than 40 years.

Sharon Persinger, a current member of the union’s Executive Council and former PSC treasurer, will be among the honorees at the event, along with State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and State Senator Robert Jackson. Learn more and buy tickets here.