In the bargaining sessions on March 25 (read the full update), Cornell and CGSU-UE reached a tentative agreement on an overall collective bargaining agreement, including the terms of the Union Security clause. The agreement will go into effect only if the contract is ratified by CGSU-UE in their election April 8-10.

After extensive negotiations, the parties reached a “win-win” compromise that preserves freedom of choice for students who object to union membership while still recognizing the contractual agreement between the union and the university. Cornell has held firm for a Union Security provision that protects individuals who object to belonging to the union and paying union dues.

Exemptions for Religious, Moral, or Ethical Beliefs

The article provides three different choices for graduate student workers:

• Join the union and pay dues
• Do not join and pay an agency fee to the union 
• Do not join and advise the union of a religious objection (including on moral or ethical grounds) and donate an equivalent amount to a charitable organization (United Way, American Heart Association, or American Cancer Society)

The “religious objection” accommodation includes graduate student workers who object to union membership for moral or ethical reasons, consistent with EEOC guidance. This accommodation allows graduate student workers to advise the union that they object on this basis, and that they are electing to make a monthly charitable contribution to the United Way, the American Heart Association, or the American Cancer Society instead of paying union dues or agency fees. 

Students Could Choose from Three Wide-Ranging Charitable Causes

Through bargaining, Cornell expanded the donation list from one organization to three: The United Way, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society. Importantly, these three organizations have broad and significant presences on a number of important charitable courses throughout the United States and internationally. For instance, the United Way is an umbrella organization that permits designations so that donations go to support one of dozens of organizations – such as food banks, children’s centers, libraries, meals on wheels, and youth development programs. We hope that by using these broad organizations, the donations can be targeted towards at least some cause that any student believes in.

Monthly Contributions

The article stipulates that students who advise the union that they have elected to donate to one or more of these charitable organizations will make monthly contributions and provide proof of these payments. This could likely be accomplished by setting up a recurring monthly donation online and listing the union as one of the recipients of the monthly donation notification or retaining your monthly proof of payment to provide to the union.