Answer: A Union Security article is a component of a collective bargaining agreement (contract) that establishes whether and when graduate students who are members of the bargaining unit must join the CGSU-UE or pay other fees to the union for representing them in collective bargaining. The bargaining teams are currently negotiating over the Union Security article, which is a significant issue for both parties.

The current versions of Union Security and all other articles under negotiation are available in our bargaining tracker.

Answer: Each of these are different types of Union Security articles.

Union shop: In this type of article, all employees must join and remain a member of the union after being hired as a of employment. The requirement to join the union includes the requirement to pay any union dues or initiation fees, as applicable. If agreed to by the Parties, the provision often requires that employees who decline to join must be terminated.

Agency shop: This type of article permits employees to choose whether to join the union and pay union dues, or not. If employees choose not to join the union (and therefore not pay union dues), they instead must pay an “agency fee” to the union to cover the union’s costs related to collective bargaining, contract administration, and grievance handling. This fee is typically similar to, but slightly less, than the full amount of union dues as it excludes funding some things, such as union political activities.

Open shop: This type of article allows employees to choose whether to join the union and pay union dues, or not. Members of the bargaining unit are not required to pay union dues or fees if they opt not to join, even though the union still represents them in negotiations and in administering the collective bargaining agreement.

Answer: CGSU-UE has demanded a union shop provision.

Answer: University leadership rejects any proposal that requires graduate students to become and remain members of the union as a condition of employment.

University leadership believes that the ability of our students to pursue a Cornell education must not be contingent upon whether they choose to join the union or otherwise affiliate with other organizations.

Cornell is in favor of a Union Security article that allows every bargaining unit member, now and in the future, to make their own informed decision about whether they want to be affiliated with the union.

Answer: Requiring students to join a union as a condition of holding a Rule 1.3 appointment runs counter to university values and could have grave consequences for graduate students at Cornell.

A union shop provision would mean that students who decline to join the union could be dismissed from their appointments and prohibited from holding future appointments at the university.

In addition, a number of students have implored Cornell representatives not to accept the union’s proposal on Union Security as they value the ability to freely choose which organizations they may affiliate with. By accepting the union’s proposal, Cornell would be turning its back on these students’ significant concerns.

Answer: No. As a representative of graduate student workers, Cornell values the role of CGSU-UE in advocating for policies to benefit graduate student workers, who play crucial roles in carrying out the university’s teaching, research, and outreach missions.

Since the start of contract negotiations in March 2024, Cornell has agreed to a number of compromises with the union, including a dues check-off provision that would automatically deduct dues out of graduate students’ checks, a move that will fund and strengthen the union. Cornell has also agreed to an Academic Freedom proposal with union language that gives students significant leeway in pursuit of their own academic freedom, a type of provision that very few universities, to date, have agreed to include in their contract.

Answer: The university and the union have negotiated productively over the terms and conditions of employment for graduate student workers since the start of bargaining in March 2024. Cornell will continue to negotiate with CGSU-UE in good faith to arrive at an agreement that both parties can accept.

Answer: This term comes from the 1988 Supreme Court decision Communications Workers v. Beck. In Beck, the Supreme Court held that, even under a union security provision requiring the payment of dues or fees to the union, unit members who object to full union membership – which includes paying dues that go towards social and political causes – may continue as ‘core’ members and pay only the share of dues used directly for representation, such as collective bargaining and contract administration. Known as objectors, they are no longer full union members but are still protected by the union contract and represented by the union. Unions are obligated to tell all covered employees about this option. In some collective bargaining agreements, the “objector” concept is generally incorporated by the ability to pay agency fees that only pay for collective bargaining and contract administration.

The CGSU-UE’s union shop proposal currently makes no reference to the Beck objector option.

Union Shop

• Contract provision requiring all Grad Student unit members to become Union Members and Pay Union Dues
• What the CGSU-UE proposed

Agency Shop

• Contract provision that permits unit members to choose between either becoming Union Members or paying an “agency fee” for the representation by the Union.
• Agency fee is usually an amount just slightly below full membership dues.

Beck Objector

• Based on 1988 Supreme Court decision, the right of any unit member – even in a Union Shop – to object to paying any fees or dues other than those related to collective bargaining (e.g., such as political activities).
• CGSU-UE proposal does not mention this right.

Answer: Generally, “dues” refers to union dues – or the amount a unit member pays to remain a member of the union. “Fees” often refers to “agency fees” (also called “representational” or “fair share” fees). For unit members in a workplace covered by an Agency Shop clause, an agency fee is the amount the unit member still has to pay to cover the union’s costs related to collective bargaining, contract administration, and grievance handling. An Open Shop union security provision permits unit members to choose to pay neither union dues nor agency fees.

In some cases, “fees” may also refer to “initiation fees” that unions charge to join.

Answer: Unions’ primary source of revenues is collecting dues from members. Unions charge dues to their members to fund the operations of the union. Dues can range in amount. Each union establishes its own dues formula, but they are typically up to 2% of the students’ total compensation. Unions may also charge an initiation fee. Agency fee amounts are set by the union, but are typically close to, though slightly less than, the amount of union dues.

Answer: Yes. Although students cannot be forced to join a union, any who have a classification that falls within the bargaining unit will be bound by the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. This is true whether or not the student becomes a member of the union, pays an agency fee or, if the parties agree to an open shop, the student chooses to neither join the union nor pay an agency fee. Many graduate student collective bargaining agreements make membership in the union or the payment of agency fees an explicit condition of continued employment for academic appointments (such as for TA and RA positions).

The union has a duty to fairly represent everyone in the bargaining unit regardless of union membership status.

Answer: No. Collective bargaining agreements at our Ivy+ peer institutions have open shop and agency shop provisions.

Both Columbia University and Harvard University have open shop provisions, permitting their graduate students to freely choose whether, or not, to join or financially support the union.

Other universities have agency shop provisions. For example, the collective bargaining agreements reached between United Electrical (UE) and Johns Hopkins University and the University of Chicago all contain agency shop provisions.

The agreements between the UE and MIT and the United Auto Workers (UAW) and Caltech contain unique approaches. In both of those institutions, the parties were able to agree to provisions that maintained graduate students’ ability to pursue their studies and make a free and fair choice, while still agreeing to a modified agency shop provision.

At MIT, if a student does not pay union dues or an agency fee, their appointment ends one-week early each quarter.

At Caltech, if a student does not pay union dues or an agency fee, they are required to make a philanthropic donation.

Answer: Updates on bargaining sessions are sent to faculty by email in the days following such meetings. Review the Bargaining Updates Archive for past updates.

Answer: Review the Bargaining Updates Archive page to learn when the next bargaining session will take place.

Answer: The MOA clarifies a couple of matters. First, the MOA establishes that during the collective bargaining process the university has the right to enforce policies that were established before July 14, 2024. Going forward, the university is required to bargain with the UE on any policy changes or new policies that might impact the terms and conditions of employment for graduate assistants.

The MOA also provides clarity around how the university and the union will engage when policies have an impact on a graduate assistant’s employment. Cornell has agreed to bargain with the union in cases where enforcing university policies has an impact on a graduate assistant’s employment, but not on the policies or the decision itself. The policies and decisions will apply, so long as enforcement is consistent with Cornell’s past practices. This distinction is important, as it enables the university to continue to administer policies to protect students, faculty, and staff, preserve the integrity of the graduate school experience, and allow the proper functioning of the university.

Answer: Frequently in collective bargaining, sessions are cancelled for a range of reasons, including illness of bargaining members, changes in schedules and inclement weather. In this case, a critical bargaining team member was ill. Since a session was already scheduled for later in the month, it seemed most prudent to cancel. This was the first cancelled session in almost a year of bargaining.

Answer: Yes. Cornell has bargaining relationships with eight different unions that go back almost 60 years. Approximately 1,600 Cornell employees are already represented those unions. However, none of those existing unions include graduate students.

Answer: CGSU stands for “Cornell Graduate Students United” and is an organization comprised of Cornell graduate students performing teaching or research services who have driven efforts to form a union. CGSU has affiliated with the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), which is a national union representing workers across the country in a variety of manufacturing, public sector and private service-sector jobs. Student unions at MIT, Stanford, Dartmouth, and Chicago are also affiliated with the UE. Only MIT has completed the bargaining process with the UE.

Answer: Graduate students at a number of private universities have sought union representation over the last few years. In addition, graduate students at several public universities have been represented by unions for decades.

Answer: The matter of whether these students will be required to join a union will be addressed during the collective bargaining process.

Answer: It is our position that whether to join a union is a decision for the students. We are firmly committed to complying with the requirements of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), and to ensuring a fair bargaining process.

Answer: The recognition of the graduate student union does not change the status of graduate students as students. The graduate student union has been recognized to represent the graduate students who hold the titles of TA, RA, GRA and GA to bargain the terms and conditions of their employment in those titles. Currently, graduate students who have fellowships are not represented by the union with respect to the requirements of that fellowship.

We don’t believe there will be any change to the graduate students’ tax status.

The university does not provide individual tax advice, however some general information is available from the Division of Financial Services. The IRS also provides information for students. Graduate students may reach out to the UE or CGSU for additional information and resources.

Answer: All graduate students in research degrees are considered to be full time students and are enrolled in 12 credits of coursework and/or research. By Cornell and New York state standards, 12 credits equates to 36 hours academic activity. This is a baseline expectation. Of course, many students invest much more time into their own studies. Students should have full-time engagement in academic duties that are developmental for their own training as a scholar and in furtherance of a degree.

When a full-time student holds an assistantship position, the time commitment is 15 hours per week on average, with no week to exceed 20 hours. That rule is in place, in part, to ensure that students are not performing excessive service work for the university that slows their own degree progress.

Answer: The experiences of other universities show that work stoppages are often timed to coincide with critical periods during the semester. Stoppages at the end of the semester, for example, disrupt collection and entry of final grades for undergraduate students.

The timing of a work stoppage is never up to university leadership or management (faculty).

Answer: Cornell has developed a set of guidelines intended to help Cornell faculty and other members of our community consider contingency plans for research and instructional continuity in the event of work disruptions that could include labor actions. Read these contingency planning resources.

Answer: If the union calls a strike the university could stop pay unless an individual student elects to work. Faculty PIs would not pay for work unless the student was confirmed to be working.

Answer: Managers can reassign work during a strike, but there would likely be some obligation to shift work back to the striking employee once the strike is resolved.

Answer: Instructors cannot ask their TAs to see who will work or who will strike. According to National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) rules, it is not permissible for managers to ask their reports about their participation in union-related activities. This will be frustrating for many faculty.

Learn more about “TIPS” for faculty to protect student employee rights under the NLRA (available to faculty and teaching staff only).

Answer: Participants in a strike or work stoppage generally receive no pay, and those students who continue to meet their assistantship duties will be paid.

Note that academic progress remains separate from assistantship duties. Students are still responsible for their own academic progress, even if they elect to not perform their assistantship duties during a strike or work stoppage.

Answer: No. Pursuant to federal labor law, a supervisor may not ask students whether they intend to participate in a strike or engage in other union activity.

With that being said, if a strike has been formally announced, a supervisor may ask their assistants if they intend to perform their duties during this time. In asking these questions, faculty should be careful not to otherwise question the assistant about the strike itself or to otherwise expand the conversation beyond the question posed. In order to honor the rights of our students to engage in this type of collective action, such questioning must be done in strict accordance with the guidelines provided by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Accordingly, a supervisor asking a graduate worker whether they plan to continue to work must do the following:

• Specifically tell the graduate worker that they are free to answer the question posed or not and their response is strictly voluntary.
• Explain to the graduate worker why the supervisor is asking the question. For example, “In order to plan for the teaching of the course to which you are assigned, and to make sure the class is covered for our students, I need to know if you will be carrying out your duties, including conducting sections and office hours and grading.”
• Specifically assure the graduate worker that no reprisals will be taken against them if they refuse to answer the question or if they do not plan on performing their duties during this time.

Faculty may also verify for themselves whether sections/planned reviews are being held or whether lab assignments have been addressed.

Answer: Yes. As faculty, you are considered management under the NLRA, and such positions come with specific responsibilities. Therefore, you must refrain from engaging in unlawful conduct that could be perceived as threatening, coercing, or restricting graduate students in their right to participate in a union.

Unlawful conduct includes the following:

• Engaging in coercive speech, whether formal or informal. Coercive speech can be quickly summarized as “TIPS” – threats, interrogation, promises of benefits, and spying or surveillance. Examples of prohibited coercive speech include:
  • Threats: “Our lab might not be able to support as many graduate students if there is a union.”
  • Interrogation: “I heard the union has collected signed cards – did you turn one in?”
  • Promises: “I’ll make sure you can TA the class you’re interested in if this all goes away.”
  • Surveillance: Taking photos of a union rally may be considered prohibited surveillance.
• Transferring, terminating, or assigning graduate students more difficult work tasks, or otherwise punishing them because they engaged in union activity.

Note that conduct may be considered unlawful regardless of whether it is in support for, or in opposition to, the union. This page provides more information on “TIPS” for faculty.

In addition, because TAs, GRAs, RAs and GAs will now be represented by the UE, changes to terms and conditions of employment must be negotiated with the union. That means that the university, colleges, and departments cannot make unilateral changes to topics such as:

• Wages and benefits
• Working hours
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Assistantship discipline and discharge
• Assistantship grievance procedures

Federal labor law requires that changes to topics such as these may only occur after both the UE and the university agree through their respective representatives in the collective bargaining process.

It is important to note that programs retain full purview and freedom to engage with students on academic policies, institutional priorities and objectives, and programs that are not included in these mandatory subjects of bargaining.

Answer: Weingarten rights entail the right of union employees, upon request, to have their representative present during an investigative interview that the employee reasonably believes could lead to discipline. A list of FAQs on Weingarten rights is available to faculty.

The bargaining unit member is responsible for invoking the right to representation, and managers are not legally required to remind them of that right. Nevertheless, to the extent that a faculty member plans to conduct a meeting with a bargaining unit member that may result in discipline, it would be wise to utilize the acknowledgement form before commencing the meeting. A paper copy of this short form can be provided to the unit member, and they can choose to either (1) request the presence of their union rep, or (2) proceed without their union rep. The unit member can then sign and date the form to memorialize their decision.

Answer: Cornell is required to maintain the status quo, so you should continue to grant awards in the way they have previously and consistently been awarded in the past.

Answer: As much as you would like to discuss this topic with them and/or provide guidance to them, the best response is to tell them that students who have questions about graduate student unionization at Cornell or the collective bargaining process should direct their inquiries to Cornell Graduate Students United (CGSU).

Answer: In November 2023, the graduate students elected the UE as its exclusive representative under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) for TAs, GRAs, RAs, and GAs. The UE and the university are currently working together to reach an agreement on the employment aspects of those titles.

Answer: Given that the UE was recognized in November of 2023 and that the UE and the university have not yet negotiated an agreement, the answers to these questions are not available. We encourage prospective students to reach out to the UE or to its Cornell affiliate, CGSU, to discuss these concerns.

Students can direct more specific inquiries to Cornell Graduate Students United (CGSU).

Answer: This is a question that is not appropriate for faculty or the university to answer. If prospective students have questions about the UE or CGSU, we suggest that they reach out directly to those entities.