Dear Cornell Administration,

On Sunday, August 18 Local 2300 of the United Auto Workers called a strike of full-time service and maintenance workers at Cornell. Cornell workers tried to avoid escalation though good faith bargaining -- but the greed and intransigence of the administration has left our full-time workers with no choice. Now, students, faculty, staff, and the entire Cornell community are worse off because of the administration’s refusal to work towards a fair contract.

The UAW is asking for a 20% raise to establish a $24/hour living wage for all workers, a cost of living adjustment for their wages, no-cost parking, and steps to address unsafe working conditions. By opposing these changes, Cornell has revealed its apathy and continued interest in employee poverty, health and safety risks, and housing insecurity. 

Last year, Cornell refused to contribute its fair share towards the Ithaca community’s school district and transportation system, worsening the cost of living crisis in Ithaca and the surrounding area. Cornell’s administrators, who pocket millions from service and maintenance workers’ labor, are now claiming that Cornell’s $10 billion endowment can only fund a meager 6% wage increase. When will Cornell respect its community?

Throughout negotiations, Cornell has failed to take workers and their demands seriously. In one bargaining session, Dana Stevens, a senior HR administrator, laughed at workers’ hardships due to financial struggle. The administration’s contempt for its workers is also clear in the workplace, where union members have faced discrimination for their union activity. Failure to bargain in good faith and retaliation both constitute violations of federal labor law, and the UAW has responded by filing Unfair Labor Practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.

As members of the Cornell community, we are outraged by the university’s attempts to fleece its employees. We are also disgusted by Cornell’s manipulation of student workers into crossing the UAW picket line, which represents a clear attempt to pit workers against each other. Our community will not be fractured, and we stand united behind the workers who do the hard, daily work of keeping our University running.

We stand in solidarity with Cornell workers and commit to honoring their picket line. The Cornell community is proud to fight alongside UAW 2300 until our administration agrees to a fair contract befitting of the essential labor they provide to our community.

In solidarity, 

The undersigned Cornell community