CUNY union members blocked the entrance to the lobby of CUNY Central at 205 East 42 Street last month. Photo by Dave Sanders.

By Marcia Newfield

Twenty-two thousand CUNY students and 1,326 adjunct faculty and graduate fellows live in the three Upper West Side NY Senate districts 29, 30 and 31.

Why is this important? There are several reasons. One is that CUNY’s 24 colleges are the primary source of higher education for New York City high school graduates. Compared to private colleges, CUNY schools are relatively inexpensive — annual tuition at CUNY 4-year schools is $6,330, not including books and living expenses. But given that the majority of CUNY’s 275,000 attendees come from families that earn less than $30,000 a year, getting tuition together — often while working — is not easy.

Another reason CUNY is important is that most graduates stay in the city after graduation, contributing to the tax base. But the state’s contribution to CUNY’s operating budget — and its workers’ salaries — has not kept up with inflation or enrollment.

Less well known is that CUNY relies on part-time faculty: 53% of the courses are taught by adjuncts, whose numbers have risen every year since the 70’s. Adjuncts are paid very little. Despite having advanced degrees and being dedicated to providing insight and opportunity to working people, they earn less than $30,000 a year from their teaching. At approximately $3,500 per 3-credit course, they have to teach eight courses a year to earn $28,000, and often they don’t get all the work they need. If they don’t have a higher-earning partner, a cheap apartment or another job, they too are poor. The state’s underfunding has contributed to this. Governor Cuomo’s intransigence about adding more than 2% to CUNY’s budget has been relentless. New York State consistently underfunds its public universities. Is it because our students are mostly African-American and Latino?

That is why, on November 4th, 53 members of the Professional Staff Congress, the union that represents 25,000 CUNY faculty and staff, got arrested as part of a protest against CUNY management. We have been without a contract for five years and without a pay raise for six.

After a protest in October in front of the luxury building where CUNY Chancellor James Milliken is provided with a $19,500 a month apartment (in addition to a $670,000 salary, a car and driver), the university made an offer of 6% over six years. PSC members are understandably offended. The offer does not match inflation or the 4% retroactive pay that other state unions received in 2010.

To learn more, follow the website of the Professional Staff Congress, CUNY’s union.

Marcia Newfield, a longtime Upper West Side resident, has been an adjunct in the English department of BMCC for 28 years, She was elected as Vice President for part-time personnel from 2003-2015. She currently serves on the negotiating team and as an adjunct grievance counselor.