Monday’s PSC Town Hall | Mayoral Endorsements

Monday, April 28th at 6:30 PM

Register Here For the Zoom.

PSC members will gather for the second in a series of urgent online town halls at 6:30 PM Monday, April 28th. Register now for the Zoom meeting, if you haven’t already. At the mass meeting, we will discuss the PSC’s response to the current political moment, the upcoming NYC elections, along with the long-delayed news about the payment schedule for our new contract. There will be opportunities to ask questions, to hear and share analyses, and reports on union organizing around academic freedom, immigrant solidarity, student visas, sexuality and gender, and defending research funding.

This year’s May Day will be a day of protest and resistance to destructive policies of the second Trump presidency. On Thursday, May 1st, the PSC will join the unions of the Central Labor Council and community groups to mount a mass march through downtown Manhattan to oppose Trump’s attacks on workers. Sign up here to march with the PSC. The event starts at Foley Square. PSC members will meet starting at 4:30 PM in front of the New York County Supreme Court (60 Centre St, New York, NY 10007). We’ll gather and distribute signs before marching. The march is scheduled to leave Foley Square at 5:00 PM.

I WILL MARCH THIS MAY DAY

City Council Progressive Caucus Urges College Presidents to Resist

PSC members joined the NYC Council Progressive Caucus and other academic unions at a City Hall press conference Thursday, April 24th to release an open letter to college presidents urging them to resist the Trump Administration’s attacks on higher education. The letter called on NYC college administrations to:

1. Defend academic freedom and student expression.
2. Refuse collaboration with immigration enforcement on campuses.
3. Support immigrant and international students.
4. Uphold labor rights on campus.
5. Advocate for federal research and education funding.

PSC President James Davis and Legislative Committee Member Arturo Enamorado spoke at the event. Watch video of Davis’ statement here and Enamorado’s here.

Urging the CUNY and SUNY Chancellors to Resist

On the same day that the Progressive Caucus released their letter to college presidents, PSC President James Davis joined union leaders representing faculty and staff throughout SUNY in pressing the chancellors of the New York’s public university systems to defend their institutions.

In this press statement, President Davis, United University Professions President Frederick E. Kowal, and Roberta Elins, a NYSUT Board of Directors member representing SUNY community colleges, call on SUNY Chancellor John King Jr. and CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez to immediately declare that SUNY and CUNY will challenge any attempts by the Trump administration to undermine academic freedom, threaten the integrity of scientific research, stifle free speech and trample the due process rights of all students—including international students.

NYC’s University Educators Rally for the Right to Learn!

“These abrupt cuts send the chilling message that real-world, evidence-based research on pressing public health challenges is expendable—even as disinformation spreads and preventable diseases resurge,” said Denis Nash of the CUNY school of Public Health.

“These abrupt cuts send the chilling message that real-world, evidence-based research on pressing public health challenges is expendable—even as disinformation spreads and preventable diseases resurge,” said Denis Nash of the CUNY school of Public Health.

More than 20 academic unions and organizations representing faculty and staff, students and higher education allies turned out Thursday, April 17th to condemn the MAGA attacks on higher education. Watch coverage from NY1 and video of speeches from PSC President James Davis and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.

AFT Emergency Immigration Hotline

The PSC’s national affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers, has established an emergency immigration hotline that at-risk members should save in their contacts. This resource is for urgent situations and for dues-paying members only; it is not intended for students or any non-members. The number is (888) 416-2110. It is posted with many other resources on the PSC’s Immigrant Solidarity Working Group page.

Tell CUNY: No ICE/DHS on Campus!

Almost 2000 PSC members and CUNY students have signed the No ICE/DHS on CUNY Campuses petition. But we want many more! Add your name, if you haven’t already. Share the petition link with your networks. You can also download a flier with a QR code linking to the petition.

SIGN PETITION: NO ICE ON CAMPUS!

Responding to the Trump Administration’s Attacks on All Things Transgender

The PSC’s Sexuality and Gender working group will host leading trans studies scholar and advocate Paisley Currah Monday, May 5th at 6:30 PM for a discussion on the Trump administration’s attacks on trans community and ways to fight back. Click here to register in advance for this online event.

It’s Adjunct April!

The PSC’s Committee for Adjuncts and Part-Timers is running a campaign to highlight the labor of the nearly 14,000 adjunct faculty and staff that CUNY relies on to run. You can take a button or flyer, sign our petition, and meet adjunct leaders on campuses across CUNY. Events were held last week at Lehman and John Jay and upcoming events are scheduled at Bronx Community College, Brooklyn College, Medgar Evers College, and the School of Labor and Urban Studies. On the PSC’s Adjunct April page you can check out the schedule of events, send a letter urging the chancellor to honor the multi-year appointment agreement, and download a flier or an Zoom background. You can also stop by a tabling event or contact your chapter leadership or campus organizer to get a “CUNY Runs on Adjunct Labor” button.

Update on CUNY’s Policy on Sexual Misconduct

PSC seeks to keep members updated on changes to CUNY’s Policy on Sexual Misconduct (August 2021). A January 2025 federal court ruling blocked the implementation of new Title IX regulations that were the basis of a now moot university Policy on Sex-Based Misconduct (August 1, 2024). As PSC notified members last fall, that policy appeared to significantly increase the number of PSC bargaining unit members considered “Mandatory Reporters.” We explained our objections to aspects of the policy that conflicted with our contract. After the January 2025 ruling, we again notified our members, and we write again today with a further update.

The University has confirmed that the University has reverted to the prior policy, the August 2021 Policy on Sexual Misconduct. Unfortunately, some CUNY colleges erroneously maintain the August 1, 2024, policy on their website. PSC has raised this issue to management, and we have been assured that campuses and the Central Office were instructed to announce the reversion to the prior policy.