Unionized Cornell University Workers Go On Strike

More than 1,000 unionized campus workers at Cornell University—from maintenance and dining room employees to gardeners and custodians—went on strike late Sunday to protest management's refusal to negotiate in good faith and put forth a fair pay and benefits package, Jake Johnson reported for Common Dreams.

The strike by Cornell employees, who are represented by United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2300, coincided with the Ivy League university's student move-in day. I Photo: UAW International Union Facebook

The strike by Cornell employees, who are represented by United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2300, coincided with the Ivy League university's student move-in day.

The union local has filed seven separate unfair labor practice charges against Cornell with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing the university of retaliating against workers for engaging in protected union activity and interfering with organizing efforts, Raw Story also reported.

"Workers at Cornell are fed up with being exploited and used," said Christine Johnson, the president of UAW Local 2300.

"The university would much rather hoard its wealth and power than pay its workers fairly. Cornell could have settled this weeks ago. Instead, they've scoffed and laughed at us and broken federal law. We're done playing around."

The strike followed an authorization vote last week in which 94% of workers opted to greenlight a walkout if a deal wasn't reached with Cornell management by Sunday night.

The contract that covers the 1,200 Cornell campus workers expired on June 30, and union negotiators have been pushing the university to approve a substantial wage increase, waive parking fees for campus employees, implement cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) to ensure pay keeps up with inflation, and eliminate the tiered wage system.

UAW said Cornell's endowment has grown to nearly $10 billion over the past four years—an increase of 39%—and tuition has risen 13% while real wages for workers have fallen 5%.

The union also pointed to lavish compensation for top university administrators, which was upwards of $12.4 million in 2022.