Last Wednesday marked the second time I was a silent witness to the CUNY chancellors vs workers game. Chancellors, as usual, pitched a fit. My fellow union members urged me to sit up front, so I could "hear better." I remember thinking to myself as I sat down nearer the front: "I don't want to hear better. I want better things to hear."
It started late--because the chancellors were. That's how old time despots work--show your power by showing late. The despots don't get "what the product" is of CUNY professors. Product. Imagine.
Our union stood firm: "We're not making concessions. Just because it's on paper doesn't mean we're going to do that. We're not seeing progress.
They responded: "Not an appropriate characterization. You don't have to agree. You don't make a statement that we don't agree. Thaat's not good." Said in a snideyvoice tone. They repeatedly intoned that "we weren't being helpful."
We insisted that we were not going to make concessions or have rollbacks. That we want to see an economic pattern consistent with a cost of living increase and to keep pace with inflation.
They told us they see little movement. They called us "unwilling" to bargain.
We responded: "We cannot say to our members--we gave up this and that."
They said, "That's called bargaining." And we said, "I know what bargaining is." They said, "This doesn't reflect our priorities."
We said, "We want, safety and health, new lines, job security. Multiyear contracts for adjuncts. We presented data. CUNY runs on adjunct work. "Not asking to much...job security...the college has obligations. We encouraged them to lean boldly.
They claimed that the student teacher ratio was 29:1 and now is 21:1. (Personally,I disagree. Since COVID, it has gone up to 35:1. I think what they are cynically saying is that we take in underprepared students, class starts out with 35 and by the end of the term, so many have dropped out that it may well be down to 21:1). So, by the end of the day, there is still not contract to vote on. Still no willingness on the part of the grandees to share their wealth (All of them make from $250-750K/yr, all of them get over 30% increases yearly).
Millionaires won't share. Millionaires don't care.