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CGSU continues to bargain with the University after unionizing over a year ago.

January 28, 2025

Interim President Kotlikoff Opposes CGSU Efforts For A Union Shop As Bargaining Continues

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Following months of negotiations with Cornell Graduate Students United, Interim President Michael Kotlikoff released a University statement on Thursday stating the University is open to other proposals rather than the union shop that has been proposed.

This position starkly contrasts with Cornell Graduate Students United’s advocacy for a union shop — a place of employment where all employees are required to join a union.

In response to CGSU’s demands for a union shop, Kotlikoff wrote, “Cornell made clear that it would not accept such an arrangement, which would be contrary to our university’s core values and would have grave consequences for many of our current and future students.” 

According to Kotlikoff, the consequences of a union shop include graduate workers needing to either be added to the union or leave the University. Additionally, it forces all graduate workers to be associated with any political decisions CGSU makes, Kotlikoff wrote. 

“We want to be clear that Cornell is not opposing unionization of graduate student workers, and we are open to considering proposals other than the union shop that has been approved,” Kotlikoff wrote. 

According to Ph.D. student Ewa Nizalowska, after winning the election to form a union, CGSU began negotiating its first contract with the University throughout the fall semester to secure protections that ensure improved working conditions for graduate students.

Currently, CGSU relies on union cards to advocate for graduate workers. Union cards are legal documents that allow a union to negotiate with employers on behalf of the employee. The employee needs to give consent before a union can negotiate for them under a union card. In contrast, under a union shop, all workers would automatically be represented by CGSU. 

In a flyer distributed on campus, CGSU claimed that a union shop “institutes fairness and power” by giving them the “ability to organize and fight for better and better contracts” instead of focusing on recruiting workers to join a union card.

“[A] union shop will allow us to maintain our union power in the long run,” Nizalowska said. “That’s why it’s such a central part of our contract fight.” 

Not all graduate students support full unionization. Groups like Cornell United Against Union Shop have formed in opposition to CGSU’s demand for a union shop, echoing Kotlikoff’s Jan. 23 statement. 

“The open shop principle ensures that current and future Cornell graduate students can study at Cornell independent of their political views and beliefs,” wrote a Cornell United spokesperson. 

Members of Cornell United wrote in a joint statement, “We hope Cornell will continue to uphold its firm commitment to academic freedom and resist external pressure on this issue.”

On its platform, Cornell United says that creating a union shop forces graduate students to accept the political stances of United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, the union which CGSU is registered under.

In addition to fighting for a union shop, CGSU’s contract priority has been receiving discipline processes that abide by the Seven Tenets of Just Cause. These tenets guarantee that workers cannot be disciplined or discharged without Just Cause, including fair notice of violating standards, an interview before issuing discipline and equal treatment among workers. 

Other demands from CGSU include wage increases up to $58,500, free bus passes and 100 percent dental and vision insurance coverage.

On Dec. 5., CGSU announced that they reached a tentative agreement with the University on appointment security. The agreement “guarantees funding for all fall, spring, and summer appointment periods” for graduate students. It also includes a provision stating that graduate students cannot be in bad academic standing without a fair evaluation, clear feedback or an opportunity to improve academically. 

When asked about the contract negotiations in Dec. 2024, a University spokesperson wrote to The Sun that “graduate students are vitally important members of the Cornell community, and the university is committed to reaching a fair and reasonable contract.” 

According to Ph.D. student Marguerite Pacheco, a member of CGSU’s bargaining committee, Cornell has insisted that graduate workers in a fellowship should not be allowed to join the bargaining unit. CGSU rejects this stance and continues to advocate for fellowship members to be included in the bargaining process due to the hours workers spend in fellowships, Pacheco explained.

Nizalowska and Pacheco explained that CGSU expects pushback for their demands, but they are prepared to fight this uphill battle on behalf of graduate student workers, noting that two of the key issues graduate student workers continue to face are mistreatment from their advisors and affording the rising cost of living in Ithaca. 

“We are employees that are really doing the essential work that keeps the University running, [and] we deserve the same protections that are really just the industry standard in many industries at this point,” Nizalowska said.

Hope Thomas ’27 is a Sun contributor and can be reached at [email protected].

Correction, February 4, 12:17 p.m.: This article was updated to more accurately reflect Interim President Michael Kotlikoff and Provost Kavita Bala’s statement on the University’s openness to proposals other than a union shop.