N.Y. sees a flurry of organizing activity

Months of labor efforts bore fruit in New York state recently when fledgling unions filed petitions to hold collective bargaining elections or voted in scheduled elections. The activity took place at Cornell University, Pace University and LaGuardia Community College, which is part of the City University of New York (CUNY).

Voting 28-2, a unit of 55 adjunct faculty who teach in the extension program of Cornell University's Institute for Labor Relations (ILR) chose the New York State United Teachers/AFT to represent them as their collective bargaining agent. The adjuncts teach in labor education programs in the upstate area. Their new union comes in addition to an existing NYSUT union representing New York City-area Cornell ILR adjuncts.

Program changes affecting their teaching content, intellectual property concerns and the demands of distance learning were some of the issues that motivated the adjuncts to unionize, says NYSUT field representative Pat Pomerantz, who is also a member of the new union. He described the agreement between Cornell and NYSUT that made the unionization effort a win-win proposition for all.

Cornell is a private institution that, nevertheless, provides a home for some state-funded education programs, such as the ILR. To organize the local and avoid some of the drawn-out procedural demands of the National Labor Relations Board (which has jurisdiction over Cornell), NYSUT and Cornell came up with an expedited process for the election. This relied upon a disinterested third party to conduct the election, and a neutrality agreement whereby Cornell would recognize the election result. Because NYSUT is such a powerhouse with the state Legislature, Pomerantz points out, having NYSUT units at the university that can help lobby for resources works out well for the adjuncts and for Cornell. The full-time faculty there are not represented by a union.

At Pace, another private university in the state, an organizing committee filed cards with the NLRB on Dec. 19, 2003, for a unit of 700 adjunct faculty and part-time instructors at the three campuses in Manhattan, Pleasantville and White Plains. They are organizing around the full range of issues: low pay, no health insurance, no pension, no office space, no job security and no compensation for holding office hours, preparing for class or grading papers.

ãThere is this awkward issue of adjuncts not being paid for the first six weeks into the semester,ä says English adjunct Esther Labovitz, while management waits to see if the class will be fully subscribed. Labovitz notes that in 20 years of teaching, she has not yet reached $1,000 per credit hour in compensation. Adjuncts hope for an election during the spring semester.

CUNY Research Foundation workers at LaGuardia Community College held an election in March (after this newspaper went to press) for a unit of 400 employees. They were organized by the Professional Staff Congress/AFT, the union representing faculty and staff at the college, and NYSUT.

The foundation employees are tutors and/or part-time instructors who receive a paycheck from the foundation, not CUNY, and so are covered by the NLRB, not the state labor board. PSC and NYSUT are in the process of organizing RF workers on all the campuses where there is a research foundation. Elections will soon take place at Kingsborough Community College and the CUNY Graduate Center.