On September 29, 2023, the Cornell Graduate Students Union, affiliated with the United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America (CGSU-UE) filed a petition for an election with the National Labor Relations Board. The Cornell University Chapter of the AAUP stands in strong support of the Cornell graduate worker rights to unionize and engage in collective bargaining about their wages, benefits, hours, and all terms and conditions of employment. The AAUP’s Statement on Collective Bargaining “supports the right of faculty, other academic professionals, and graduate students to form unions” and “promotes collective bargaining to reinforce and secure the principles of academic freedom and tenure, fair workplace procedures, and the economic security of the profession.”
The Cornell administration has stated, “We respect the right of students to unionize if they choose to do so.” Yet, the Cornell administration refused the CGSU-UE’s request that Cornell voluntarily recognize the union based on the strong evidence of majority support through union authorization cards signed by Cornell graduate employees. To show their respect for employees’ choices, the Cornell administration should voluntarily recognize the CGSU-UE as the exclusive bargaining representative of the Cornell graduate employees. We emphasize, as well, that Cornell must show its respect for graduate employees in all their statements and actions in relation to the upcoming union election. The Cornell administration should not only refrain from any interference with graduate employees’ rights to unionize, but it should refrain from making any statements about its views about unionization. As the AAUP Statement on Collective Bargaining states: “Trustees and administrators should maintain neutrality and allow academic workers to determine for themselves whether they would like to be represented by a union.”
Cornell Chapter of the AAUP 