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CUOMO, WALL STREET, AND CLASS STRUGGLE AT CUNY ANALYSIS

Cuomo, Wall Street and Class Struggle at CUNY Analysis Student’s Name Institution Instructor’s Name

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Cuomo, Wall Street and Class Struggle at CUNY Analysis Cuomo, Wall Street and Class Struggle at CUNY is an article written by Glenn Kissack, a retiree representative on the Public Staff Congress Executive Council, highlighting the plight of the staff at the City University of New York (CUNY). Although the services of the staff at the CUNY are crucial in ensuring smooth operation of the institution, the sate, and the university management had forsaken them. Thus, on May 12th, 2016, through their union Public Staff Congress (PSC), the faculty and the staff at the University authorized a strike to demand implementation of a collective bargaining agreement that assured them of better pay, improved working conditions, and issuance of contracts for those who were employed on a temporary basis. As a result of the complaints, the Public Staff Congress led the University's staff in demonstrations at the University Chancellor's and the Cuomo headquarters. However, the response from Cuomo headquarters was disappointing to both staff and the students of the University. Instead of granting the staff a salary increment, there was a proposal for reducing sate allocation for CUNY by a third and increasing the students' tuition fees. The proposal heightened the demonstrations as the students, and other supporters joined the staff. On April 1 st, 2016, the New York Assembly and Senate led by Governor Cuomo, Assembly Speaker, and the Senate majority passed a budget that introduced a cut in state allocation for CUNY. There being no other option for the Public Staff Congress bargaining team, it agreed to new contract terms with the CUNY management, whereby they had to take a salary increment of 10% over seven years. Governor Cuomo gave his approval of the new contract terms as the terms were as per his previous recommendations. In addition to the 10% salary increment, the Public Staff Congress also managed to get other benefits to their members: three-year

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appointments for long-serving adjuncts, more annual leave for librarians, management's written pledge to work on a plan to reduce faculty workload and the possibility of reclassification and higher pay for HEOs who had more responsibilities. However, CUNY staff had to forgo 14% of the salary increment they were supposed to receive in 2010. They also had to accept a zero percent salary increment for the first eighteen months of their new contract with CUNY management. Glen Kissack has organized his work in a clear manner, where the ideas flow chronologically. He starts by explaining the genesis of the unrest between the University staff and the University management and the state. He explains how the failure to implement the collective bargaining agreement has led to the continued suffering of staff at CUNY. They are underpaid, work in poor conditions, while others work under no contract. Failure to address the demands of the staff led to mass rallies at the university chancellor's home and at the Governor's office. Instead of helping them, the Governor led the Assembly and the Senate in cutting down state allocation for the institution, making it more than difficult to increase their salaries. He shows how the Governor's influence and his agenda to save money on behalf of the business class at the cost of poor works frustrate the PSC negotiating team. They accept a 10% salary increment instead of the 18% they had initially proposed. In terms of style, Kissack uses simple but comprehensive language together with numerical figures that help the readers to understand better. He also uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation, making his work more readable. The topic of this paper has been portrayed as a major concern for thousands of employees in various learning institutions across the United States of America. The quality of labor introduced to the market by learning institutions, especially Universities, depends largely on the learning conditions and the quality of education. The Topic stresses the urgency to ensure

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University staff are well paid, and their working conditions improved. The topic also depicts the role of insensitive leaders in frustrating employees in different sectors, and the benefits accrued by these leaders when they deny employees their rights. This topic appeals to state and local leaders to ensure the needs of employees are met for a better quality of education to the communities.

CUOMO, WALL STREET, AND CLASS STRUGGLE AT CUNY ANALYSIS References Kissack, G. (2016). Cuomo, Wall Street and Class Struggle at CUNY. Socialism and Democracy, 30(3),12-36.

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