FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We've compiled a collection of common questions CGSU receives about our unionization effort. Have a question that doesn't appear here? Contact us and ask!

GENERAL QUESTIONS

UNION CARDS

What is a union?

A union is a legally recognized group of workers that comes together to demand a say in their working conditions. Because a union is formed and run by its members, it inherently protects and strengthens its members’ interests.

What is CGSU, and who runs it? Why do we want to form a graduate worker union at Cornell?

Cornell Graduate Students United (CGSU) is an organization of graduate workers at Cornell University fighting to improve working conditions and quality of life for graduate workers. Our current efforts began in earnest in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, centered on funding guarantees, stronger worker protections, and better comprehensive healthcare. Our work is integral to and necessary for the success of Cornell’s mission, and Cornell has the reputation it does because of our work, so we should be fairly compensated for doing it.

What is collective bargaining?

Collective bargaining is the legally-recognized process through which a union of workers negotiate contracts with their employer. Unlike our current employment relationship, where Cornell unilaterally sets our working conditions, with collective bargaining, we would be on equal footing with Cornell when determining our working conditions. The members of CGSU who would do the bargaining would be elected democratically by union members. Once Cornell and the CGSU bargaining committee agree on a contract, the contract will be voted on by all union members.

Which graduate students would be represented in the union?

All of us! All graduate workers will have the right and opportunity to participate in the union. CGSU and Cornell, with guidance from the National Labor Relations Board, will determine the specifics of who will be in the bargaining unit once we have a union. One question that has come up is whether fellows will be included in the bargaining unit. There is precedence for them to be included and not, and we will aim to try to get them included. Any representative position will be elected by union members, and all members will be eligible to run for these positions.

What will our union look like?

It is important to remember that we - the graduate workers - are our union. Our union will look like what we want it to look like. This structure will include a democratically elected bargaining team to negotiate on contracts with the university, a democratically elected central leadership that will decide how to spend dues, and more. Any representative position will be elected by union members, and all members will be eligible to run for these positions. We do not yet have bylaws because, at the moment, CGSU is just a set of graduate workers who want to improve the conditions under which they work.

Why should we form a union if Cornell already has the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GPSA)?

CGSU would have a different power than the GPSA. A graduate workers’ union would give us workers distinct power to negotiate a contract that the GPSA does not have. It only has the power to recommend resolutions they pass to the Cornell administration. The GPSA is a great avenue to handle certain issues, such as the curriculum and policy changes, and CGSU and GPSA will work together to improve the graduate experience.

Will I be forced to go on strike?

We all have a right to go on strike, but no one can force you to go on strike. Furthermore, strikes are exceedingly rare, and many strikes by graduate workers’ unions do not stop all aspects of graduate students’ research or degree progress. Most importantly, any strike action at Cornell would only be made through a supermajority vote by CGSU’s members.

Could a contract limit my work hours or when I could work?

We graduate workers would propose provisions in our contract that benefit us. We aim to protect ourselves from faculty who force us to work more than we want to, but we do not want to make it more difficult for anyone to work as much as they like, nor do we want to enforce a structure that will limit workers making graduation progress. Our contract would also not limit the times of day you could work.

How will unionization affect my relationship with my principal investigator or advisor(s)? 

When our financial support is guaranteed to us in a contract, our relationships with our PIs and advisors can be purely academic. Additionally, increases in worker compensation will not place undue financial stress on principal investigators or advisors as money to fund these improvements will come out of money that is moved from central university administration into individual departments.

What does signing a union card mean?

By signing a union card, you express your support for the formation of a graduate worker union at Cornell. A union is the best, and really only, way that we have the legal power to fight for the issues on our platform. In other words, it’s the first step toward improving our lives as graduate workers: first, we sign cards, then we form a union, and finally, we can begin to negotiate with Cornell.

More specifically, when you sign a card, you call on Cornell to voluntarily recognize a graduate worker union immediately or hold an election for all graduate workers to vote on whether they want a union to represent them and negotiate with Cornell to better their working conditions.

Who will see my union card? A.k.a., is my union card confidential?

We want to be proud and vocal in our support for our union! We are strongest—and safest—when we’re public, because that shows that the University can’t intimidate us, and if they try to retaliate against any one of us, we have clear evidence of it. It’s important to remember that CGSU won’t be filing cards until we reach a supermajority of grads on cards, which means 1,500+ grads on cards! What difference does it make to you to know that you’ll be one of 1,500+ people? All this being said, signing a union card is confidential. Your union card will only be seen by National Labor Relations Board officials and by CGSU organizers entering data. 

My card says the “United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America” (UE). What’s UE?

UE is a national union with which we voted to affiliate.  It’s an umbrella organization that helps support our work with advice and, in a limited capacity, legal and financial resources. CGSU organizers voted to affiliate with UE because they have an incredible track record organizing graduate workers. In the past two years, thousands of graduate workers at our peer institutions, including MIT, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, UChicago, and Stanford, have formed unions with UE. UE, in other words, knows how to work with graduate workers. We also voted to affiliate with UE because they permit us to run our union how we want. We set our priorities, strategies, and agenda democratically.

My union card asks for my “job title.” What is it?

Job titles for grad workers at Cornell include: Research Assistant (RA), Teaching Assistant (TA), GRA (Graduate Research Assistant), GA (Graduate Assistant), and Fellow. Please list the title that is on your appointment letter!

Are there dues associated with signing?

No. Official union dues start after we ratify our first contract, and will be more than covered by the raise we negotiate in that contract. We all vote on our first contract—we would never vote for a contract that doesn’t give us a raise overall. As you can see in the Columbia graduate union’s tentative agreement with Columbia University, unions regularly secure significant raises after dues. 

The union card says I’m authorizing the union to represent me and on my behalf negotiate. What does that mean? 
The union is all of us! We are forming a union to have a voice and to improve our quality of life, not to restrict any of us. After winning our union election, every grad worker will elect our coworkers to the bargaining committee, who will negotiate with the University to improve our working, learning, and research conditions. The bargaining committee will come to a tentative agreement with the employer, and then we’ll have the chance to vote on whether we want to ratify that agreement, or send the committee back to the bargaining table to keep fighting for more. 

What will happen after we sign cards?

After a supermajority of graduate workers sign union cards, CGSU organizers will bring the cards to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) office in Buffalo, NY. That is the office that oversees labor issues in Ithaca. The NLRB will process the cards and will then schedule a unionization election. In that election, each graduate student in the bargaining unit will get to vote in a secret ballot about whether they want to be represented by CGSU. Once we win a union, we can then begin bargaining over a contract.