New CUNY contract: Faculty will get raises, support student success

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New York’s Staten Island. In order to support student access and get raises, over 30,000 academic and staff members at City University of New York (CUNY) campuses have approved a new contract.

Through 2027, the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) and the CUNY administration have reached an agreement that includes a $3,000 ratification incentive, 13.4% minimum hikes with nearly two years of back pay, and further equity wage increases for CUNY’s lowest-paid titles.

Employees at CUNY’s campuses in New York City, including Willowbrook’s College of Staten Island (CSI), will be impacted.

Ninety percent of voting members ratified it on Monday after the CUNY Board of Trustees gave its approval on December 16. Retroactively, it is effective from March 1, 2023, to November 30, 2027.

According to James Davis, PSC president and Brooklyn College English professor, the substantial benefits in this contract are the consequence of the unity and action of PSC members. The movement to demand respect, equity, and raises involved thousands of union members. An overwhelming majority of members are aware that this contract will improve CUNY as a place to work and learn, as evidenced by the 90% ratification vote.

According to PSC, the agreement enhances the compensation and working conditions for CUNY’s full- and part-time academics and staff.

In addition to adjunct faculty, graduate staff, and faculty and staff in CUNY’s lowest-paid full-time titles, salaries will rise by at least 13.4%.

Over the length of the contract, the minimum adjunct compensation for a three-credit course will rise from $5,500 to $7,100, a 29% increase. While individuals at the top of their salary schedules will enjoy rises, other titles that receive equity increments will see increases of up to 43 percent.

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According to CUNY Chancellor Flix V. Matos Rodriguez, “Our talented faculty and staff members put CUNY’s mission to provide an exceptional public higher education to anyone who seeks one into action every day.” This agreement will eventually help CUNY’s students and shows the university’s dedication to these industrious and committed people.

According to PSC, the contract’s improvements—which include investments to improve supplemental health benefits, an extension of Paid Parental Leave from eight weeks to twelve weeks, safeguards against outsourcing teaching to artificial intelligence (AI), new career pathways, and more support for research and professional development—will fortify faculty and staff and promote student success.

A redesigned multi-year teaching adjunct appointment pilot program is also included in the contract. Appointments are for two years, with a third year optional.

A detailed overview of the agreement can be found at PSC-CUNY.org/TA.

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