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30K CUNY faculty and staff to receive raises and bonuses under proposed labor contract
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Dec 17, 2024
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Erik McGregor / LightRocket via Getty Images
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Dec 17, 2024
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More than 30,000 faculty and staff members at the City University of New York will get wage increases and bonuses if union members ratify a tentative labor agreement struck between CUNY and the Professional Staff Congress, the parties announced on Monday evening.
The pending deal, which was approved by CUNY’s board of trustees, runs from March 1, 2023 to Nov. 30, 2027 and would provide full-time, part-time and adjunct faculty with retroactive and future raises totaling about 3% per year, along with a lump-sum bonus of up to $3,000 for each covered employee. CUNY says it is the country’s largest urban public university, serving almost a quarter-million undergraduate and graduate students across the five boroughs.
Members of the PSC union still have to ratify the agreement for the increases to go into effect. The union’s delegate assembly, its central policymaking body, is set to consider the proposal on Thursday, and if it recommends approval, rank-and-file union members would get to vote on it, according to the PSC.
CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez hailed the agreement in a statement, saying faculty and professional staff “are the heart and soul of the CUNY system.”
“This inclusive contract is a testament to our commitment to our teaching and non-teaching staff and determination to ensure CUNY continues to provide students with a top-tier education,” he said.
Other benefits of the deal include increased pay for adjuncts, starting in 2026; the expansion of paid parental leave from eight to 12 weeks, with eligibility for foster care; increased contributions to employee benefits and wellness; and the continuation of several pilot programs, like multiyear appointments for teaching adjuncts and stipend payments for defined projects.
“By securing better pay and working conditions, stronger benefits and additional equity raises for adjuncts and our lowest-paid full-time colleagues, we are making CUNY a better place to work and learn,” said PSC President James Davis, an English professor at Brooklyn College, in a statement.
CUNY earlier this year announced a labor contract covering more than 10,000 other employees, including custodial staff, college assistants, information technology workers, public safety officers and more. If the latest contract proposal goes through, all of CUNY’s unionized workforce will be under a collective bargaining agreement, according to the university.
Several issues are not covered by the tentative agreement, including paid parental leave for part-time staff, employment terms for graduate assistants, clinical professors and distinguished lecturers, and procedures around “job abandonment” and unpaid leave of more than a year, the union said. But the PSC added that it “secured a commitment [with CUNY] to continue discussions under the new contract” regarding those issues.
Tagged
education
new york city
labor
CUNY
economy
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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