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 – was joined by students and advocates in calling for a new agreement that includes inflation-beating raises and other advances that help to protect the quality of a CUNY education.

Following decades of public disinvestment and three pandemic years, CUNY colleges are facing staff shortages, noncompetitive salaries, and inadequate working conditions. Just last month, CUNY management ordered a hiring freeze and college “savings targets” that will mean cuts to academics and student services. Students and advocates joined the rally because a fair contract for PSC members will ensure that CUNY remains New York City’s greatest engine for economic mobility among low-income students and students of color.

“We are fighting for a ‘Contract for A People’s CUNY’ because a fair contract that supports our faculty and professional staff at CUNY not only benefits our members, but also improves the lives of the students and the communities that we serve,” said James Davis, President of the Professional Staff Congress. “The hundreds of faculty, staff, students and advocates who joined in solidarity at today’s rally sent a clear signal to CUNY management that our whole community stands beside us in demanding a fair contract. We can and will ensure that CUNY provides a high quality education and remains a powerful force for change in New York.” Read more from PSC-CUNY here, as well as coverage from Gotham Gazette and Politico and follow PSC-CUNY's fight on Twitter using #APeoplesCUNY.