INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 133, No. 70
MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017
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ITHACA, NEW YORK
16 Pages – Free
News
Arts
Sports
Weather
Polar plunge
Rap, R&B at Risley
Early Elimination
Rainy HIGH: 61º LOW: 41º
Students braved the icy waters of Cayuga Lake to raise over $40,000 for different charities. | Page 3
The Red leaves the NCAA tournament early after a convincing 5-0 loss to UMass Lowell. | Page 16
Sofia Hu ’17 calls Jamila Woods’ performance at Risley Hall “chaotically spiritual.” | Page 8
‘Asking for a union is not a sign of our privilege; it’s a sign of our solidarity’
GRADS TO VOTE ON UNIONIZATION
Sen.Chuck Schumer praises labor movement,CGSU effort By ANNA DELWICHE Sun News Editor
As graduate students prepare to head to the polls, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) sent a statement to Cornell graduate workers pronouncing his support for unionization. Pointing to Cornell as a “valuable economic driver” both in the state and the nation, Schumer noted that “I believe in the University has accomplished this status “fueled by the right of the tireless and ongoing employees to efforts of R.A.s and T.A.s.” organize and Although Schumer did not specifically tell graduates how he to collectively thought they should vote this bargain for fair week, he proclaimed his support the National Labor Relations contracts.” Board’s decision in August — a Sen. Chuck decision that allowed graduate workers to unionize — saying Schumer that “it is a decision [he] strongly supported because [he] believe[s] in the right of employees to organize and to collectively bargain for fair contracts,” the statement read. Along with his support for the NLRB ruling, Schumer added his belief on the value of unionization and the American labor movement, which he said has
GABRIELLA DEMCZUK / THE NEW YORK TIMES
Equity | U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) sent a message praising CGSU’s unionization effort, believing it to be key to “fair representation in the workplace.”
been “a springboard for advancement, economic equity and fair representation in the workplace.” “It has been my experience that workplaces function most effectively when there is a proper balance between workers and management,” Schumer said in the statement. “Most importantly, unions build the middle class by affording hardworking people fair wages, decent benefits and a say over their work lives.”
AFT President Randi Weingarten ’80 rallies grads before major vote
See SCHUMER page 3
Graduate students head to the polls to cast ballots on union recognition By ANNA DELWICHE Sun News Editor
By JOSH GIRSKY Sun Managing Editor
Randi Weingarten ’80 returned to Ithaca on Saturday to discuss the same topic she studied as a student in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations: unionization. As the president of the American Federation of Teachers — the national union affiliated with Cornell Graduate Students United — Weingarten praised Cornell graduate workers and urged them to vote for unionization on Monday and Tuesday. In an address to graduate students gathered at Hasbrouck Community Center, Weingarten assured the group that the AFT would not try to diminish local autonomy. Instead, she said, it would be a group that would support graduates if they needed it. Weingarten highlighted the
Paul Berry grad, spoke on behalf of CGSU, saying that they are “honored” to receive this statement from Schumer, someone who he said “has recently taken such a strong stand against abuses of executive power.” “We are proud that he is willing to stand up with our rights as workers here at Cornell Graduate Students
KATIE SIMS / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Final efforts | President of the national union, Randi Weingarten ’80 assures graduate students that the AFT will not interefere in local decisions.
diversity of locals that are affiliated with the AFT. She said the 3,500 locals “are as different as they can be,” and pointed out that the AFT is still growing, especially since the election of President Donald Trump. She said that when the first travel ban was announced, she and her partner went to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City to protest with hundreds of others.
While on her way, she said she got a call saying that a professor at CUNY — who belonged to a union affiliated with the AFT — was unable to enter the United States because of the ban. Through working with a variety of people including U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the professor was able to come See AFT page 4
After three years of organizing and campaigning by Cornell Graduate Students United, Cornell graduate students head to the polls on Monday and Tuesday to cast ballots for the union recognition election. The results of this election will determine whether Cornell graduate students establish CGSU — with affiliates American Federation of Teachers and New York State United Teachers — as their graduate student union. If a majority of
voting graduate students vote for representation by the union, Cornell “shall immediately grant recognition to the union as the exclusive collective bargaining representative,” according to the contract between CGSU and the University. That bargaining representative would have all the rights and obligations of a National Labor Review Board-certified union. While unions have been commonplace at public universities — with CGSU members frequently pointing to University of Michigan, Oregon State
Days before polls open for the election, many graduate students are still unsure of how they want to vote. and University of California, Berkeley as examples — their counterparts at private universities have been far more rare. See VOTE page 4