Following months of negotiations between the University and Cornell’s chapter of United Auto Workers, a strike officially began Sunday night for over 1,000 Cornell food service workers, mechanics, custodians and other University employees. Immediate impacts of the strike have already been felt around campus, as thousands of new students started to move in.
The picketing comes after the University and UAW Local 2300 — the union representing around 1,200 Cornell employees — failed to reach an agreement to avert the move-in week strike by the union’s Sunday night deadline.
UAW Local 2300’s demands include improvements in workplace safety, wage increases consistent with increases in the cost of living and free parking.
Dozens of UAW strikers gathered in picket locations on Monday morning as new students wandered campus with their families. Strikers stood outside Day Hall, Bill and Melinda Gates Hall and at the corner of Tower Road and Campus Road near Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine campus.
Kelly Tracy, a food service worker, led chants outside with a crowd of around thirty at Day Hall, prompting honking in support from cars and TCAT buses passing by. Occasionally, the group walked into and around the intersection, temporarily blocking traffic.
Tracy, who has worked at Cornell for eighteen years, told The Sun that having a job at the University has become less promising than when she began working on campus.
“When I first started here, Cornell was like a great place to live. You knew that if you got a job here, you were good,” Tracy said. “And then, as the years progressed, it has been getting harder and harder.”
Sam Poole ’28 joined the picket line to support UAW before moving in. Poole expressed disappointment with the administration’s current negotiations with the union and hopes to talk to union leaders to see how he can further help the UAW’s cause.
“I’m not crossing a picket line, no matter what happens,” Poole said. “I will find other places to eat, or we’ll eat snacks on the picket line.”
In a statement sent to the Cornell community Monday morning, Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Christine Lovely and Interim Provost John Siliciano gave an update on current and previous negotiations and expectations during the strike.
The statement started with the administrators asserting that the University has continued to “negotiate in good faith with the UAW” and how despite their best efforts at avoiding a strike, UAW officials rejected their last offer.
According to the administrators, the last offer included a 17.5 percent increase in wages that are compounded over the four years of the contract and an immediate wage increase of 10.3 percent for the lowest-paid employees.
In a press release from the UAW issued Monday afternoon, it claimed that the final offer from the University was only a 15.5 percent wage increase over four years. The statement further explained that UAW Local 2300 countered their offer with a “25 percent wage increase and the elimination of tiered wages” but failed to negotiate by their 10 p.m. deadline.
The statement from the UAW added that while the University had months to bargain with the UAW, it only got serious right before the 10 p.m. deadline, reflecting in their view, a lack of caring for its employees.
“This strike is a direct result of University management not valuing its employees and treating working class people like they are an expendable afterthought,” the statement read.
In the strike announcement on X, formerly known as Twitter, the UAW explained that workers are “facing declining real wages even as Cornell’s endowment has ballooned and tuition revenue has skyrocketed.”
The University clarified its $10 billion endowment in the statement, adding that much of its use is “restricted by agreements with donors” and how New York State Law dictates how much can be drawn from it. It was also noted that Cornell spent $366 million in fiscal year 2023 to pay for expenses workers are calling for, and an increase could make the University “raise tuition to unmanageable levels to cover the cost.”
The Cornell statement also explained that as the University is in “unprecedented territory,” there will need to be “flexibility in reassigning staff” to help with other services.
On Monday morning, breakfast service at Morrison Dining — the only North Campus dining hall that is open for the rest of the week — was noticeably reduced, as limited food options were available to students. Fruit was piled high all around the cafeteria, and signs near the food lines read “all lines have the same menu options.”
By lunch, operations at Morrison Dining appeared to have improved, as more food options were made available to newly moved-in students.
At each station, food was served out of disposable aluminum trays with plastic catering tongs as opposed to the usual commercial trays and pans. Long lines formed at each dining area, and diners used paper plates and plastic utensils to eat instead of the typical reusable offerings.
A manager working at Morrison Dining on Monday morning declined to comment when asked by The Sun about the service changes.
Among the other campus dining locations closed on Monday were North Star Dining, Okenshields, Terrace and Mac’s Café.
After a long day of action and mobilization from University workers, Shawn Fain, president of the UAW, spoke at the Democratic National Convention and applauded the ongoing strike at Cornell.
“The American working class is in a fight for our lives, and if you don’t believe me, just last night, blue collar workers — UAW members — at Cornell University had to walk out on strike for a better life because they’re fighting corporate greed,” Fain said. “Our only hope is to attack corporate greed head on.”
Update, 8/19, 4:15 p.m.: This article has been updated to add information about the protests, interviews from protesters, an update on Morrison Dining and a statement from the UAW.
Update, 8/19, 9:24 p.m.: This article has been updated to add information about other dining locations that were closed on Monday.
Update, 8/19, 9:50 p.m.: This article has been updated to include remarks from the UAW president Shawn Fain’s speech at the Democratic National Convention.