The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/cgsu/)
Cornell Graduate Students United rallied in support of Ph.D. student Sriram Parasurama, who was de-enrolled from the University due to participating in a pro-Palestinian disruption that shut down a career fair on Sept. 18.
This past week, the Cornell and Ithaca communities came together to take a stand for and honor the causes and conflicts they are most passionate about. Cornell Graduate Students United — Wednesday, Oct. 2
Last Wednesday, approximately 180 Cornell Graduate Students United members and supporters gathered in front of Bailey Hall and Day Hall to protest the suspension of international graduate student Momodou Taal. (Ming DeMers/Sun Photography Editor)
CGSU argued the union should be able to bargain Taal’s suspension with the University under a Memorandum of Agreement reached last July. Taal taught a First-Year Writing Seminar class before his suspension, meaning his working conditions were impacted by the University’s disciplinary action.
Following the suspension of international graduate student Momodou Taal, Cornell Graduate Students United rallied in front of Bailey and Day Hall asking administration to abide by a memorandum of agreement by bargaining the disciplinary action.
Any true union with teeth and a material commitment to justice would recognize this patterned behavior as systemic violence, and as union busting, as evidenced at Cornell’s peer institutions including Washington University in St. Louis, the University of California system and Duke University.
Re: “‘Meet Us at the Bargaining Table’: Cornell Graduate Students United Rallies for Employment Protections” (news, April 10)
In coverage of the CGSU-UE’s Rally for Respect, the Cornell Daily Sun broadcasted the union’s unscrutinized propaganda advocating for union shop, a clause in our proposed contract which forces all grad students to support the union as a condition of earning our degrees. Rally speaker Amy Tsai described union shop as a “contract provision that means everyone is automatically a member of CGSU-UE.” This is a lie! Nobody automatically becomes a member. In fact, when MIT’s grad student union was charged with breaking the law for telling this exact lie, the NLRB required them to post a notice of their unfair labor practice. In reality, the union can at most compel us to pay “agency fees,” regular dues minus those funds dedicated to political activity, while eliminating our right to vote on our contract.
The truth undermines Tsai’s primary defense of union shop: protection from advisor retaliation.
Joining CGSU should be a choice. If CGSU demonstrates results, grad students will join without coercion.
Cornell’s graduate students overwhelmingly voted to unionize and begin collective bargaining negotiations with the University.
Cornell’s graduate students voted from Nov. 6 to Nov. 8 on whether to unionize under Cornell Graduate Students United. If successful, CGSU will affiliate with the labor union United, Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America.
During Thursday’s meeting, the Student Assembly unanimously passed Resolution 21, supporting graduate student unionization, and Resolution 24, urging the University for efforts to help prevent sexual assault.
“Hey hey! Ho ho! Cornell’s greed has got to go!” could be heard from the courtyard between Uris Hall and Statler Hotel Thursday afternoon as graduate students gathered to express discontent with the University’s mental health services, particularly services for graduate students.