After four months of bargaining and two weeks of strikes, the United Auto Workers Local 2300 and Cornell University have reached a tentative agreement. If ratified in a vote early next week, then the UAW members will return to work on Sept. 3.
Terms of the agreement include “significant wage increases,” as well as a Cost-of-Living Adjustment, increased vacation benefits for employees with fewer than five years of service and greater access to University-provided clothing and shoes, according to a University statement released Wednesday afternoon.
The UAW Local 2300, which represents more than 1,000 Cornell workers, and the University have been negotiating a contract since April 22, 2024. The union’s contract is a written agreement between the union and the employer that outlines the terms and conditions of employment for workers within the union. During negotiations, union members present a list of “demands” to their employer, or areas where they wish for their current contract to be altered. These demands are then negotiated upon.
The UAW’s demands for this contract included wage increases, a cost-of-living adjustment, free parking for workers and workplace safety improvement among upwards of 40 demands. When negotiations for these demands stalled, the workers began striking on Aug. 19.
After nearly two weeks of striking, the University and the union have reached an agreement that the UAW “[believes] will pass ratification and accomplishes all of [their] long term goals,” according to their Aug. 27 bargaining update.
In order to pass ratification, the UAW will discuss and vote on the tentative contract agreement during their voting days on Sept. 1 and 2. If the tentative contract receives a majority of votes, then it will be ratified.
The UAW maintains that they will continue striking until the contract is ratified.
The contract is not yet finalized, but the UAW shared some terms of the contract via bargaining updates and X. According to these updates, over the next four years, members will see an average increase of 21 percent to 25.4 percent in hourly wages, among increases in several other benefits. Additionally, the agreement includes what the UAW considers to be “significant improvements to policies on time off, uniforms, inclement weather and safety protections.”
According to the University statement, it will take a few days for campus operations to be fully restored once the agreement is ratified. Therefore, they encourage students without meal swipes to eat at non-Cornell Dining eateries until usual staffing levels have been restored.
“We extend our deep appreciation to the University’s bargaining team who worked tirelessly over many weeks and who negotiated in good faith with the UAW to reach a tentative agreement that benefits the entire community” the University statement read. “We also recognize the efforts of our UAW-represented employees and their bargaining team in bringing both parties to this important, landmark agreement. All of our employees are an integral part of what makes our Cornell community so special.”