After two years of negotiations, the City University of New York officially established a new contract with members of the Professional Staff Congress (PSC,) the union representing CUNY’s faculty and staff.
On Jan. 13 the contractual agreement between CUNY administration and its faculty and staff was fully approved, moving forward with a minimum raise of 13.4% raise, two years of back pay and raises in adjunct pay.
“We think it's a real affirmation of the work that the bargaining team and the entire union membership did over the course of almost two years,” said PSC President James Davis.
With 90 percent of voting members choosing in favor of the new contract, Davis said a number of non-economic changes were made that should be implemented quickly.
including an additional four weeks of paid parental leave, moving from eight weeks to 12 and now including foster parents. PSC was also able to secure health and Safety labor-management committees on every CUNY campus dedicated to discussing the terms union members are pursuing for new negotiations.
A large part of the discussions regarding contracts have surrounded adjunct faculty which represent ,11,000 union members. Adjuncts will see a 29% increase across the board, with classes taught at three hours a week for 15 weeks, jumping in pay from $5,500 to $7,100.
“No one in our bargaining unit is really paid competitively with our peers or that keeps up with the increased cost of living in New York City,” Davis said.
"Due to adjuncts receiving a larger pay jump than full-time faculty, it’s important to the union that raises be implemented immediately and correctly," Davis added
During a CUNY board meeting held at John Jay College in October, several union members protested outside the building, in favor of livable wages for all staff and specifically adjuncts.
“Those actions really punctuated the contract campaign and galvanized our members' interest and commitment in fighting for one another and fighting for the resources of the university,” Davis said. “I think that’s going to have really beneficial effects coming out of contract negotiations.”
One big win, according to Davis is all employees who received a higher title, will be accompanied by a raise in salary which was not general practice prior to the new contract.
“There’s two parts. Implementing and enforcing what we won and the second part is gearing up for the next round of negotiations,” Davis said.
The union plans to continue fighting for adjuncts receiving paid parental leave, different terms for the employment of graduate assistants, different terms for the employment of clinical professors and distinguished lecturers and offered educational technology.
In the next round of negotiations, the union plans to pursue different provisions for remote work and flexible scheduling.
“I think [the contract’s] going to translate into support for the students that we serve because that’s, at the end of the day, what we’re here for, it's to protect the quality of the education that CUNY provides,” Davis said.