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 UE has been deemed the exclusive representative of TAs, GRAs, RAs and GAs responsible for negotiating applicable “terms and conditions of employment” with the university. The university will abide by its legal obligation to collectively bargain with the union on those topics. The goal of collective bargaining is to reach a written agreement between the university and the union memorializing the mutual agreement on those terms and conditions. As a general matter, the university will not be able to make unilateral changes on “terms and conditions of employment” without first bargaining with the union.

Answer: Any student who held a position in the potential bargaining unit was permitted to vote in the election. Eligibility is determined solely based on that criterion. Eligibility to vote was not conditioned on signing a union authorization card or expressing an intention to join the union. All eligible students were notified of the election, placed on a voter list, and be permitted to vote.

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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.