ITHACA, N.Y. — As thousands of students prepare to arrive at Cornell University for the start of the fall semester, the United Auto Workers announced on Thursday that Cornell workers — including cafeteria workers, custodians, groundskeepers and more — overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike if necessary.
The result of the authorization vote comes after Cornell University and the UAW have failed to agree on a labor contract after months of intensive bargaining. UAW organizer Jorge Rodriguez said that 95% of the approximately 1,200 Cornell workers represented by UAW Local 2300 unit voted, of which 94% authorized striking.
Now UAW leadership has the power to tell the workers to stage a walkout and commence what would potentially become the first strike Cornell’s bargaining unit has held in decades.
The Ithaca Voice reviewed what Cornell University and the United Auto Workers have made public about the discussions at the bargaining table. A table reflecting some of the core issues being negotiated can be found at the bottom of this article. Click here to look at it.
UAW Region 9 Director Daniel Vicente has said the union would time a strike for Cornell’s move-in day if the university doesn’t meet its demands at the bargaining table. From Aug.19-25, Cornell is expecting nearly 8,400 new undergraduate and graduate students to start arriving on campus. The university enrolls over 16,000 undergraduate students and over 10,200 graduate and professional students.
A strike could be highly disruptive to the operations of the campus. Cornell Chief Human Resources Officer Christine Lovely wrote in a public statement released Friday that if a strike happens, the university “has contingency plans in place to maintain essential services.”
“If a strike is called, employees represented by the UAW may decide to join the strike or they may elect to report to work. We respect employees’ right to make this decision,” Lovely said.
Cornell has proposed that a mediator participate in negotiations, but the UAW has declined the suggestion, according to the university.
UAW Local 2300 represents a bargaining unit of about 1,200 employees at cornell. The labor contract fight has received attention and support from the international UAW, known for its assertive stances at the negotiating table.
The average worker in the bargaining unit makes about $22 an hour, according to the UAW, which is demanding record wage increases among its core bargaining points.
The union has repeatedly cited that the average wage for the workers it represents is below what the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s living wage calculator for Tompkins County. According to MIT, a single adult working full time needs to make $24.64 in order to meet their “basic needs.”
Union officials previously said they were seeking 25% to 30% raises over the term of a four year contract. In the UAW’s last bargaining update, officials now said they are seeking what totalled to a 45% increase over four years.
In a video posted online on Thursday, Vicente accused Cornell of trying to “drag the negotiations out until the final hours before work stoppage or a strike action becomes necessary.” Vicente, whose statements were peppered with expletives, said that Aug. 18, the day before move-in begins, is “a deadline.” He said the university has until midnight on Aug. 17 to “get a deal done.”
Lonnie Everett, a UAW international representative, said that bargaining sessions are scheduled for over the weekend, but reiterated that the union is “prepared to take further action if Cornell continues to stonewall negotiations”
Cornell workers appear to be enthusiastic about the contract fight. On Friday, hundreds of workers and supporters rallied in front of Bailey Hall Friday on Cornell’s campus, where they chanted, “Tick tock Cornell.”
The union has continued to emphasize the Ivy League university’s sizable endowment, which Cornell reported to be over $10 billion in late 2023.
Stepahnie Heslop, a food service worker at Cornell and education committee chair for UAW Local 2300, said, “People understand that Cornell has a ton of money and we, the people who make it run, do not. Support from the international [UAW] has been crucial, but clearly the appetite from the membership is there.”
Local and state elected officials have voiced their support for Cornell workers in their labor contract negotiations with Cornell. Mayor Robert Cantelmo and Alderperson Tiffany Kumar spoke at Friday’s rally.
Assemblymember Anna Kelles and State Senator Lea Webb issued a joint statement Friday that said, “We stand with the UAW Local 2300 workers who are negotiating with Cornell for fair wages.” Kelles and Webb said they hope the university and the UAW can reach an agreement for workers that “addresses their needs and avoids a disruptive strike.”