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Fair Contract Now for RF-CUNY Workers
Workers at the central office of the CUNY Research Foundation earn, on average, $48,500. They process all the grants, cut the checks, and provide human resources support to RF employees on campus.
Their contract expired on January 1, 2009, and RF workers have been organizing all year for a fair contract. RF workers have organized to fight together for a fair contract -- they've held tee-shirt days, in which everyone wore a sign expressing their displeasure at management's first wage offer (0% in the first year!), and rallied in the pouring rain and the blazing sun.
After the union successfully rebuffed several regressive demands, including limits on seniority and reduced benefits for new hires, the primary remaining issues are proposed salary increases that fall below the cost of living and increased contributions to their health insurance premiums.
Please, tell RF-CUNY management whether you think their use of grant funds to provide disproportionate salary increases to executives and pay for anti-union lawyers is the right direction for CUNY. Fax your letter -- you can edit it, if you like.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Fair Contract Now for RF-CUNY Workers
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I am writing to express my concern regarding the extended labor dispute between the Research Foundation of CUNY and the employees at the central office who are represented by the Professional Staff Congress/CUNY. The RF central office employees are the heart of the Foundation. Without their work and specific knowledge of each grant, the Foundation would be unable to fulfill its mission. It is important to me, as a member of the CUNY community, that these employees be treated fairly.
I am concerned that a share of all grant funds is being used to provide generous increases to management employees. Your own salary increase of over $78,000 in 2006/07 (to $253,000 per year) is an example. In addition, over a half a million dollars each year is used to pay an outside attorney to prolong negotiations. Meanwhile, central office employees (whose average salary is $48,500) have been offered wage increases in the 2% per year range and are being asked to pay a larger share of health insurance premiums. That is not the way I believe the administrative organization for grants awarded to CUNY faculty and staff should operate.
I request that you re-examine your priorities as the fiscal steward of grants at CUNY and immediately settle the contract with the PSC and central office employees on terms that permit them to maintain their standard of living.
Respectfully,
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Campaign Launched:
July 13, 2009
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Workers at the central office at CUNY's Research Foundation earn, on average, $48,500. They process all the grants, cut the checks, and provide human resources support to RF employees on campus.
Their contract expired on January 1, 2009, and RF workers have been organizing all year for a fair contract. RF workers have organized to fight for a fair contract together -- they've held tee-shirt days, in which everyone wore a sign expressing their displeasure at management's first wage offer (0% in the first year!), and rallied in the pouring rain and the blazing sun.
After the union successfully rebuffed several regressive demands, including limits on seniority and reduced benefits for new hires, the primary remaining issues are proposed salary increases that fall below the cost of living and increased contributions to their health insurance premiums.
In fact,
* RF-CUNY's offer of a 6.25% salary increase over 3 years is far below the cost of living.
* RF-CUNY has demanded increases in the percentage that employees contribute to their health insurance premiums over and above the 6% increase since 2005, even though doctor and prescription co-payments have increased as well.
* According to recent 990 tax filings, RF-CUNY President Richard Rothbard received a personal salary increase of $78,136 in FY 2006-2007 -- nearly enough to provide an additional 2% increase to the employees of the central office.
* According to these same filings, RF-CUNY has spent nearly $500,000 per year on an outside legal firm that boasts on its website that "Our attorneys have successfully helped employers of all sizes resist unionization efforts."
* The legal fees for one year alone would be enough to provide a 12.5% increase to the central office employees or a 3% increase to the RF employees at all four RF-CUNY units now negotiating contracts.
Please, tell RF-CUNY management whether you think their use of grant funds to provide disproportionate salary increases to executives and pay for anti-union lawyers is the right direction for CUNY. Fax your letter today. It's editable, in case you'd like to add your own story.
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