Cornell University Transportation notified students, faculty and staff on the Ithaca campus of a potential work stoppage that could suspend TCAT bus service for the area.
The email, titled “Preparing for a TCAT Work Stoppage,” explained that TCAT transportation staff represented by the United Auto Workers Local 2300 union will vote on a strike authorization on March 11 and 12. If the union votes to authorize a strike, workers could proceed with a strike at any time, and TCAT service in and around Cornell could be suspended.
This notification comes after several rallies and protests held by TCAT employees represented by the UAW. At these protests, union leaders and transportation staff voiced concerns about the current contract proposal, which they say will leave some employees financially worse off than they were in 2019. The contract between the workers and TCAT expired in December 2024, and negotiations have been underway since.
TCAT management, on the other hand, believes the contract they are offering has fair pay increases. According to General Manager Matthew Rosenbloom-Jones, the current proposal “would make [TCAT] employees some of the highest compensated bus operators and mechanics in the United States.”
Since the Feb. 27 rally, negotiations have continued between TCAT management and the UAW bargaining team. On March 4, TCAT presented the union with what they called their “last, best and final” offer, according to a March 4 UAW bargaining update. The union rejected this contract offer, which did not meet several of their demands, including cost-of-living adjustments and the possibility of refusing mandates — a TCAT policy that requires employees to come to work on their scheduled days off when needed by management.
Beginning March 11, a strike authorization vote will be held at the TCAT office. Voting will take place on March 11 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and March 12 from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
A strike authorization vote does not guarantee or require a strike to occur — instead, it gives the bargaining team the authority to call a strike, which the UAW states could happen “if management does not improve their offer.”
“This vote is a powerful tool to show management that our membership is unified and serious about achieving a fair contract,” a UAW statement from March 6 reads.
The University’s email stated that Cornell “is not involved in the negotiations” between TCAT management and the UAW-represented transportation staff, but they will continue to “monitor the situation closely.”
The University is one of TCAT’s largest sources of funding, contributing 22 percent of annual operating expenses in 2023 and providing a base annual payment of $3.33 million until June 2027.
Cornell Transportation provided a web page listing alternative travel methods and issued a recommendation in their email that “faculty, staff, and students prepare now by exploring alternative transit methods, such as ride-sharing or carpooling.”
Cornell community members account for approximately 70 percent of all TCAT riders. Currently, 19 of TCAT’s 27 routes run through Cornell.
Correction, March 11, 4:30 p.m.: A previous version of this article incorrectly explained the timeframe for a potential TCAT strike.
