UNITE EVERYONE 2 WIN
Our Plan to Win: Securing Membership Priorities at the Bargaining Table
We won our Union three years ago. This Spring, we will bargain our second contract with Cornell. Graduate workers in Ithaca, Geneva, and New York have made their voices heard and have identified their top priorities for contract negotiation through the bargaining survey and through ratification of our bargaining platform by participating in General Membership Meetings. Members run this union, and members have spoken: our highest priority is uniting every grad worker to secure from Cornell the life-changing protections we deserve, and to make Cornell pay its fair share to the workers that make this university run.
We will win by uniting every worker on every campus and wielding our power as a union to force Cornell to move at the table. This involves organizing a strong strike threat, protecting international grads in the face of the constant attacks on visa status, and wielding our union power through solidarity between grads on campus and by building a united front with other labor unions and organizations across our campuses and throughout Ithaca.
Our plan:
Ensure rank-and-file democracy remains the driving force of our Union in bargaining
Fight for the mandate of membership from the bargaining survey and bargaining platform both inside and outside of the bargaining room
Mount a strike escalation through campus-wide and member-to-member education and organizing plans
Maintain a united front across campus and between grads and the Ithaca community to support our workers during bargaining and pressure Cornell from all sides
Organizing towards a strong strike threat that will get Cornell to move
During our first contract fight, we mounted a massive strike threat to win our demands, including union shop and just cause protections. Thousands of workers signed a strike pledge, and together we showed our power and brought Cornell to the table. This time around, we are even stronger and ready to build solidarity not only amongst grads, but also within the broader Ithaca community. We will build a strong strike fund to support workers, and along with our community, we will make sure we can sustain ourselves if the time comes. By developing resources alongside the community, working with our sibling unions, and creating concrete organizing plans, we can build on our first contract and win more industry-setting protections for all workers and community members in Ithaca.
Our plan:
We will ensure that every graduate worker knows what priorities we are bringing to the bargaining room and what protections and benefits grads are willing to win and defend by going on strike together.
We will work with other graduate worker unions who are bargaining in the coming year to ensure unity in our demands across higher education as an industry.
We will develop a robust plan to use our strike fund efficiently in supporting workers on strike, and work with community organizations to develop support networks outside of our strike fund.
Protecting International Workers
International graduate workers deserve safety and certainty that Cornell will have their back. More than 50% of all graduate workers at Cornell come from abroad to conduct their research. In addition to the challenges surrounding wages and unfair barriers to research shared by all of our members, international graduate workers face increasing challenges related to immigration. Cornell’s current resources for graduate workers are insufficient and inefficient. In a hostile climate where the Department of Homeland Security can threaten to limit F and J visas to a mere four years, and where SEVIS records can be revoked at any time without explanation, Cornell must use their ample resources to help offset the high costs and significant risks of being an international grad in the U.S. We will prioritize the concerns of international workers on campus at the bargaining table in 2027 by aggressively pressuring Cornell to put material resources toward their well-being and safety.