Open Letter Urging NYU to Respect
Graduate Employees’ Democratic Choice
Graduate employees help make NYU a world-leading university. Working with faculty and other staff, graduate employees provide
quality education to thousands of undergraduates and perform cutting-edge research projects that sustain innovation while generating
lucrative grant dollars.
When the law required NYU to respect the right to collective bargaining, a majority of graduate employees chose GSOC/UAW and
bargained improvements to pay, benefits and rights in a 2002 contract that graduate employees and NYU both hailed as a landmark
agreement. In 2005, however, the NYU administration took advantage of weakened laws to deny this right and refused to bargain a
second contract.
Despite NYU using every possible tactic to deny the democratic right to choose a union since then, a majority of NYU graduate
employees have repeatedly asserted support for representation by GSOC/UAW, and now SET/UAW at NYU-Poly, and continue to seek
justice and respect.
With the likely restoration of graduate employees’ legal right to collective bargaining, we, the undersigned, urge the NYU administration
to publicly commit to respecting union and democratic rights for graduate employees by publicly agreeing to the following:
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NYU will refrain from any further legal or other actions that would delay graduate employees’ exercising their right to choose
representation by the UAW,
NYU will ensure a free and fair election process for voting on UAW representation during which NYU does not in any way
attempt to influence graduate employees to vote yes or no, and
NYU will immediately commence bargaining in good faith for a contract upon certification of a majority vote by graduate
employees for UAW representation.
New York City Council
New York State Assembly
Labor Leaders
Mario Cilento, President, NYS AFL-CIO
Charles D. Lavine
Christine Quinn
Peter Abbate
Vincent Alvarez, President, NYCCLC
Joesph Lentol
Speaker
Thomas Abinanti
Julie Kushner, Director, UAW Region 9A
Alan Maisel
Charles Barron
Jeffrion Aubry
James V. Bertolone, Rochester Labor Council, &
Margaret Markey
Gale Brewer
Inez Barron
Rochester Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation AFL-CIO
Michael Miller
Fernando Cabrera
Michael Benedetto
Bruce Both, President, UFCW Local 1500
Joan Millman
Margaret Chin
William Boyland
Barbara Bowen, President, PSC-CUNY/AFT
Walter Mosley
Leroy Comrie
James Brennan
Jim Briggs, President, Niagara/Orleans Central Labor Council
Francisco Moya
Elizabeth Crowley
Harry Bronson
Michael Cavanaugh, AFL-CIO
Catherine Nolan
Maria del Carmen
William Colton
Arthur Cheliotes, President, CWA Local 1180
Daniel O’Donnell
Arroyo
Vivian E. Cook
Edwin L. Christian, I.U.O.E Local 14 -14B
Steven Otis
Inez E. Dickens
Marcos Crespo
James Claffey, President, Local 1, IATSE
Jose Rivera
Erik Martin Dilan
Michael Cusick
James Conigliaro, IAM District 15
Sam Roberts
Daniel Dromm
Michael DenDekker
Gordon Deane, President, UAW Local 2320
Annette Robinson
Mathieu Eugene
Jeffrey Dinowitz
John Durso, Long Island Federatoin of Labor
Linda Rosenthal
Julissa Ferreras
Rafael Espinal
Christopher Erikson, Local 3 IBEW
Nily Rozic
Helen Foster
Vanessa Gibson
Karen Fenner, President, Cattaraugus/Allegany Central Labor Council
Addie Russell
Daniel R. Garodnick
Deborah Glick
Hector Figueroa, President, SEIU Local 32BJ
Sean Ryan
James Gennaro
Phillip Goldfelder
Gregory Floyd, President, IBT Local 237
Wm. Scarborough
Vincent Gentile
Richard Gottfried
John Ford, Local 52, IATSE
Luis Sepulveda
Sara Gonzalez
Aileen Gunther
Peter Fullerton, President, UAW Local 365
James Skoufis
David G. Greenfield
Carl E. Heastie
Jill Furillo, Executive Director, NYSNA
Phil Steck
Robert Jackson
Andrew Hevesi
Raglan George, DC1707, AFSCME
Eric Stevenson
Letitia James
Earlene Hooper
Walt Gilbert, Chemung Schuyler, CLC
Matthew Titone
Andy King
Rhoda Jacobs
Larry Goldbetter, President, UAW Local 1981
David Weprin
Peter Koo
Ellen Jaffee
Michael Goodwin, President, OPEIU
Keith Wright
Oliver Koppell
Brian Kavanagh
Patty Goyette, President, Greater Glens Falls Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
Karen Koslowitz
Herb Hennings, President, Troy Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Micah Kellner
Brad Lander
Janella T. Hinds, Secretary-Treasurer, NYCCLC
Jessica Lappin
Mike Hoffert, President, Buffalo Central Labor Council
New York State Senate
Stephen Levin
Richard Lipsitz, President, Western New York Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
Melissa Mark-Viverito
Walt Lynds, President, Saratoga Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Joseph P. Addabbo
Velmanette Montgomery
Darlene Mealy
Daniel McDonald, President, UAW Local 7902
Eric Admas
Kevin Parker
Rosie Mendez
George Miranda, IBT Joint Council 16
Tony Avella
José Peralta
Michael C. Nelson
Frank Natalie, President, Schenectady Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Neil Breslin
Bill
Perkins
Anabel Palma
Paul Peters, Finger Lakes Labor Assembly AFL-CIO
Martin Malave Dilan
Gustavo Rivera
Domenic M. Recchia
Jennifer Lynn Puja, Labor Council Director, Westchester/Putnam Central Labor Body AFL-CIO
Adriano Espaillat
John Sampson
Diana Reyna
Roberta Reardon, President, SAG-AFTRA*
Michael Gianaris
Diane
Savino
Donovan Richards
Stephen Rechner, President, UCATS/AFT Local 3882
Ruth Hassell-Thompson
Jose Serrano
Joel Rivera
Humberto Restrepo, Local 3 IBEW
Brad Hoylman
Daniel Squadron
Ydanis Rodriguez
Bill Ritchie, President, Albany County Central Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
Tim Kennedy
Toby Ann Stavisky
Deborah Rose
Edgar Romney, Workers United/SEIU
Liz Krueger
Cecilia Tkaczyk
James Vacca
Maida Rosenstein, President, UAW Local 2110
Jimmy Van Bramer
Jack Rudy, President, Jamestown Central Labor Council
New York City Elected Officials
Albert Vann
Brian Schneck, President UAW Local 259
Mark Weprin
Chris Shelton,Vice President, CWA District 1
Bill deBlasio, NYC Public Advocate
Jumaane D. Williams
Doug Stock, President, Dunkirk Central Labor Council
John Liu, NYC Comptroller
Ruben Wills
Mary E. Sullivan, President, Capital District Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President
Anne Marie Taliercio, UNITE-HERE Local 150
Faith and Community Leaders
Pablo Valcarcel, President, UAW Local 2179
Rabbi Michael Feinberg, Greater New York
Tim Vogt, President, UAW Local 1508
Labor-Religion Coalition
James Williams, Steuben Livingston CLC
Rev. Peter Goodwin Heltzel, Ph.D., Associate
Deborah Wright, President, UAW Local 2325
Professor of Theology and Director of the
Labor Organizations
Micah Institute, New York Theological
AFSCME Council 82
Seminary
Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation
Rockland Central Labor Council
AFSCME DC 37
Syed Sajid Husain, Islamic Circle of North
IATSE Local 52
RWDSU
Albany County Central Federation of Labor
America*
IBEW
RWDSU Local 338
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181
Laurie Konwinski, Labor-Religion Coalition of
Jewish Labor Committee
Saratoga Area Labor Council
American Postal Workers Union Local 215
the Finger Lakes
LCLAA -NYC
Schenectady Area Labor Council
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance
Sara Niccoli, Executive Director, LaborLIUNA
Steuben Livingston Central Labor
ATU Local 1181
Religion Coalition of New York State
Long Island Labor Federation
Council
Capital District Area Labor Federation
Dan Cantor, Executive Director, WFP
NYC CLC
Teamsters Local 284
CBTU, NYC Chapter
Hon. Tom Duane
NYS AFL-CIO
Troy Central Labor Council
Central New York Area Labor Federation
Mark Hannay, Executive Director, Metro New
New York State Association of Letter Carriers
TWU Local 100
Chemung Central Labor Council
York Heath Care for All Campaign
NYS Conference of Operating Engineers
UFCW Local 1500
CSEA, AFSCME 1000
Corey Johnson, Chair, Manhattan CB4
NYS Ironworkers District Council
United Here Local 150
CWA District One
Michael Kink, Ex, Dir., Strong Economy for All
NYSNA
United Steel Workers
Dutchess County Central Labor Council
Coalition*
NYSUT
Upper Hudson Central Labor Council
Finger Lakes Chapter, AFL-CIO
Marc Landis, Democratic District Leader
OPEIU
Westchester Central Labor Body
Greater Glen Falls Central Federation of Labor
Bertha Lewis, The Black Institute
Rochester Central Labor CounciL
Western New York ALF
Hudson Catskill Central Labor Council
Bob Master, Co-Chair, WFP
Rochester Genesee Valley ALF
Writers Guild of America, East
Gaby Moreno, NOW-NYS
James Parrott, Fiscal Policy Institute
Karen Scharff, Citizen Action of New York
Steven Wishnia, Journalist, NYU Graduate
cr/opeiu494
*-organization listed for identification
purposes only