CUNY Researchers' Union Steps Up Fight For Campus Pacts

By MICHELLE FRIEDMAN

Workers at the Research Foundation of the City University of New York (RF-CUNY) protested May 27 outside the CUNY Board of Trustees meeting, stepping up pressure on management to settle new contracts.

BARBARA BOWEN: Researchers deserve fair hikes.

Employees at two campuses - LaGuardia Community College and New York City College of Technology - are in negotiations for their first contract with RF-CUNY.

RF-CUNY is a separate, private entity and operates largely with funding from grants won by CUNY faculty and staff.

Long Hauls for Both

Employees at LaGuardia Community College are entering their fifth year of bargaining, while workers at New York City College of Technology have been in negotiations for more than three years.

Some workers have not received a raise in more than nine years, according to the Professional Staff Congress, and they have no seniority rights or system for use of accrued vacation time.

"Justice delayed is justice denied," said Dr. Barbara Bowen, president of the PSC, which has represented workers at LaGuardia since they voted to join in 2003, and those at NYC Tech since they elected to become members in 2005. "Employees of RF-CUNY deserve reasonable wage increases and recognition for years of service ... Over the course of five years of bargaining, the RF-CUNY has no doubt spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees - largely from grants won by CUNY faculty and staff - while denying employees a fair contract."

Management: PSC Distorts Truth

RF-CUNY President Richard Rothbard called it "unfortunate, but not surprising, that the PSC would stage a demonstration which distorts the truth about the parties' collective bargaining negotiations, rather than engage in meaningful and efficient negotiations."

Mr. Rothbard noted that it was "ironic at best" that the PSC cancelled a negotiations sidebar scheduled for the same day as the demonstration. "The timing of the union's demonstration, and its claim of delays on the part of the Foundation, is particularly ironic since the union just recently submitted its wage proposal May 12. As to the issue of salary increases, all covered employees have - during the course of the negotiations - received the salary increases to which they were otherwise entitled; no increases were held up or reduced because of the negotiations."

He also cited the complexity and time-consuming nature of establishing a first contract, "especially one which will cover such a large and diverse group of employees."

'Trying to Move Forward'

"The Foundation has done everything it can to move negotiations forward," Mr. Rothbard said, "including agreeing to hold 'joint' negotiation sessions involving more than one bargaining unit."

The parties have already reached a tentative agreement regarding 23 separate contract clauses and are bargaining to reach agreement on the remaining issues, according to Mr. Rothbard.