{"html":"\t\n\t\u003C!-- Advertisement Script --\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022postid-372537 scrolltrace textContainer_Truncate\u0022 articlelisttitle=\u0022Why CUNY Faculty and Staff May Go on Strike\u0022 articlelistlinks=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/activism\/cuny-union-strike-remote\/\u0022 article-post-id=\u0022372537\u0022 article-keyword=\u0022false\u0022 article-subject=\u0022\u0027activism\u0027, \u0027education\u0027, \u0027higher-edu\u0027, \u0027inequality\u0027, \u0027jobs\u0027, \u0027labor\u0027, \u0027labor-orga\u0027, \u0027working-co\u0027\u0022 article-authors=\u0022\u0027r.h.-l\u0027\u0022\u003E\n\t\n\t\t\u003Carticle id=\u0022url-title\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\u003Cdiv id=\u0022tn_pixel_372537_1\u0022 style=\u0027height:0px; width:0px;\u0027\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cdiv id=\u0022tn_pixel_372537_2\u0022 style=\u0027height:0px; width:0px;\u0027\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\u003Cheader class=\u0022article-header\u0022\u003E\t\n\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022article-header-content\u0022\u003E\t\t\n\t\t\u003Cul class=\u0022article-info\u0022\u003E\u003Cli class=\u0022category\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/subject\/education\/\u0022 class=\u0022anchor_subject\u0022 subjectlink=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/subject\/education\/\u0022\u003EEducation\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli class=\u0022category\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/subject\/higher-education\/\u0022 class=\u0022anchor_subject\u0022 subjectlink=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/subject\/higher-education\/\u0022\u003EHigher Education\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli class=\u0022category\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/subject\/labor-organizing\/\u0022 class=\u0022anchor_subject\u0022 subjectlink=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/subject\/labor-organizing\/\u0022\u003ELabor Organizing\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Ch1 class=\u0022article_title hide\u0022\u003EWhy CUNY Faculty and Staff May Go on Strike\u003C\/h1\u003E\u003Ch1 class=\u0022title\u0022\u003EWhy CUNY Faculty and Staff May Go on Strike\u003C\/h1\u003E\u003Ch2 class=\u0027subtitle\u0027\u003EBreakneck speedups are forcing its workers to do more with less than ever before.\u003C\/h2\u003E\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022byline\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Ch2 class=\u0022author_name\u0022\u003EBy \u003Ca class=\u0022author\u0022 href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/rh-lossin\/\u0022\u003ER.H. Lossin\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ch4 class=\u0022time is-today article_pub_time\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\tToday 5:00 am\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\t\u003C!--\u003Cul class=\u0022article-share\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca class=\u0022social-share fb\u0022 href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFacebook\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca class=\u0022social-share tw\u0022 href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ETwitter\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca class=\u0022social-share email\u0022 href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EEmail\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca class=\u0022social-share tn_print\u0022 href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 onclick=\u0022tn_print_fn()\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EPrint\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\u003C\/ul\u003E--\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\t\u003Cul class=\u0022article-share\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 class=\u0022social-share fb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Efb\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 class=\u0022social-share tw\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Etw\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 class=\u0022social-share mail email\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Email\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 class=\u0022social-share tn_print\u0022 onclick=\u0022tn_print_fn()\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EPrint\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 class=\u0022social-share msg\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Emsg\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 class=\u0022social-share wa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Ewa\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 class=\u0022social-share sms\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Esms\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 class=\u0022social-share bookmark tn-sfg-add-to-list hide\u0022 onclick=\u0022tnAddToReadingList(this, 372537)\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBookmark\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E \t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/ul\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/header\u003E\n\n\u003Csection class=\u0022tnpaywallcontent article-body abody-372537 keep-reading \u0022\u003E\n\t\u003Ctime class=\u0022tn_publish_date hide\u0022\u003EDecember 21, 2020\u003C\/time\u003E\n\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022article-body-inner\u0022\u003E\n\t\u003Caside class=\u0022left full-width-mobile image wide indent\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca class=\u0022gallery imgHover\u0022 href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/bmcc-ss.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022A view of the Borough of Manhattan Community College campus. (littlenySTOCK \/ Shutterstock) \u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/bmcc-ss.jpg?scale=896&compress=80\u0022 alt=\u0022Borough of Manhattan Community College\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cp class=\u0022caption\u0022\u003EA view of the Borough of Manhattan Community College campus. \u003Cspan class=\u0022credits\u0022\u003E(littlenySTOCK \/ Shutterstock) \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv style=\u0022clear:both\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\t\t\t\t\u003Caside class=\u0022left indent indents email-signup-module para-one-2\u0022 style=\u0022display: none;\u0022 data-section=\u00220\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022emailetext-blocks\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ch4\u003ESubscribe to \u003Cem\u003EThe Nation\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESubscribe now for as little as $2 a month!\u003C\/p\u003E\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv 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matter.\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022cta\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/donate-website\/?sourceid=1020085\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cinput type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022btn btn_5000b2 para_one_button\u0022 name=\u0022submit_sailthru\u0022 value=\u0022Donate\u0022 style=\u0022\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbackground-color:#dd9933;color:#ffffff;\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/a\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Caside class=\u0022left indent indents email-signup-module para-one-3\u0022 style=\u0022display: none;\u0022 data-section=\u00224\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022emailetext-blocks\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ch4\u003ESupport Progressive Journalism\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\u003Cem\u003EThe Nation\u003C\/em\u003E is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter.\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022cta\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/donate-website\/?sourceid=1020085\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cinput type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022btn btn_5000b2 para_one_button\u0022 name=\u0022submit_sailthru\u0022 value=\u0022Donate\u0022 style=\u0022\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbackground-color:#dd9933;color:#000000;\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/a\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Caside class=\u0022left indent indents email-signup-module para-one-6\u0022 style=\u0022display: none;\u0022 data-section=\u00225\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022emailetext-blocks\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ch4\u003ESign up for our Wine Club today.\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\u003Cspan data-sheets-value=\u0022{\u0022 data-sheets-userformat=\u0022{\u0022\u003EDid you know you can support \u003Cem\u003EThe Nation\u003C\/em\u003E by drinking wine? \u003C\/span\u003E\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022cta\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenationwineclub.com\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cinput type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022btn btn_5000b2 para_one_button\u0022 name=\u0022submit_sailthru\u0022 value=\u0022LEARN MORE\u0022 style=\u0022\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbackground-color:#dd3333;color:#ffffff;\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/a\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\u003Cscript\u003Eparagraph_module[372537] = [{\u0022order\u0022:\u00222\u0022,\u0022event_name\u0022:\u0022paragraph-1-subscribe\u0022,\u0022user_logged_in\u0022:\u00221\u0022},{\u0022order\u0022:\u00221\u0022,\u0022event_name\u0022:\u0022paragraph-1-subscribe\u0022,\u0022user_logged_in\u0022:\u00221\u0022},{\u0022order\u0022:\u00224\u0022,\u0022event_name\u0022:\u0022paragraph-1-subscribe\u0022,\u0022user_logged_in\u0022:\u00221\u0022},{\u0022order\u0022:\u00225\u0022,\u0022event_name\u0022:\u0022paragraph-1-donate\u0022,\u0022user_logged_in\u0022:\u0022\u0022},{\u0022order\u0022:\u00223\u0022,\u0022event_name\u0022:\u0022paragraph-1-donate\u0022,\u0022user_logged_in\u0022:\u0022\u0022},{\u0022order\u0022:\u00226\u0022,\u0022event_name\u0022:\u0022paragraph-1-wineclub\u0022,\u0022user_logged_in\u0022:\u0022\u0022}];\u003C\/script\u003E \u003Cp\u003EThe Borough of Manhattan Community College\u2019s library occupies the fourth floor of its TriBeCa campus. It has a beautiful view in the middle of a neighborhood that was long ago ceded to the elite by way of inflated property values, and it belongs to students whose families are likely to make less than $20,000 a year. Pleasing scenery may seem utterly superfluous to education, but as evidence of actually existing democracy on an island largely governed by real estate speculation, it is priceless. BMCC, like other City University of New York campuses, are reminders that people without money don\u2019t just deserve some job training; they deserve a good education that might even involve some superfluous knowledge, the luxury of a well-appointed library, and a sunset over the river.\t\t\t\t\u003Caside class=\u0022ad right most-popular-plus-ad grey_back\u0022\u003E\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv align=\u0022center\u0022 id=\u0022thenation_right_rail_372537\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t \u003Cscript data-cfasync=\u0022false\u0022 type=\u0022text\/javascript\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\tfreestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tplacementName: \u0022thenation_right_rail\u0022, \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tslotId: \u0022thenation_right_rail_372537\u0022,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttargeting:{\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_author: [\u0027r.h.-l\u0027],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_articleid: [372537],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_ptype: \u0027article\u0027,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_keyword: [false],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_subject: [\u0027activism\u0027, \u0027education\u0027, \u0027higher-edu\u0027, \u0027inequality\u0027, \u0027jobs\u0027, \u0027labor\u0027, \u0027labor-orga\u0027, \u0027working-co\u0027],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_pos: \u0027rectangle_1\u0027,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_loc:\u0027atf\u0027\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t});\n\t\t\t\t\t \u003C\/script\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\n\u003Cp\u003EUntil 1976, CUNY was free. Since then, tuition has steadily risen. Given New York City\u2019s unprecedented fiscal crisis in the 1970s, charging tuition in order to make up for a shortfall in public funds seemed to make intuitive sense. The same logic, though, would dictate that fiscal abundance would mean a return to a tuition-free CUNY. This, of course, never happened because austerity measures seldom have any real relationship to the availability of funds. Since then, tuition has risen, state funding has declined, and adjunct wages, when adjusted for inflation, have decreased. Moments of crisis pass, but the sacrifices made by the public sector are never temporary.\t\u003Caside class=\u0022left indent indents related-oneup\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\u003Ch4\u003ERelated Article\u003C\/h4\u003E\t\t\n\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022oneup-blocks\u0022\u003E \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022oneup-block-img\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/activism\/columbia-tuition\/\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/columbia_sexual_assault_otu_img.jpg?scale=228&compress=80\u0022 alt=\u0022The Nation\u0022\/\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/a\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/activism\/columbia-tuition\/\u0022 class=\u0022related-oneup-click\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ch5\u003EWe Want a More Democratic University\u2014Until Then, We Won\u2019t Pay\u003C\/h5\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022author\u0022\u003ERebecca Roskill and Willem Morris\u003C\/p\u003E\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\n \n \n \n\u003Cp\u003EWhen Covid-19 began to shut down campuses across the country, cash-strapped public universities as well as their obscenely endowed private counterparts aggressively slashed departmental budgets, instituted hiring freezes, fired contingent faculty, and laid off staff. The speed with which these measures were put in place was dizzying and the ease with which they passed troubling. The logic of austerity has been so thoroughly internalized that defunding public services seems like a natural and inevitable side effect of economic uncertainty.\u003Cdiv id=\u0022ConnatixPlaceholder\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn July 2020, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.insidehighered.com\/news\/2020\/07\/06\/economic-fallout-pandemic-leads-layoffs-cuny-and-union-lawsuit\u0022\u003E2,800 adjuncts\u003C\/a\u003E were told they would not be reappointed. Non-teaching adjuncts who work as librarians and other crucial instructional staff were put on month-to-month contracts. Adjuncts at Medgar Evers College who had obtained the much talked about one- and three-year appointments as part of their 2017 contract were all fired. Unlike semester-by-semester appointments, these positions will never be reinstated. When enrollment turned out to be higher than expected in the fall, rather than reappointing contingent faculty, class sizes were increased.\n\u003Cp\u003EThis pandemic is real and unprecedented, but it is dangerous to think of the campaign against public universities as the singular product of exceptional times, even worse to operate under the assumption that its effects are natural. What is happening at CUNY is not a natural disaster; it is the logical conclusion of years of austerity-minded decision making by CUNY administrators and steadily decreasing state funding (which accounts for 60 percent of senior colleges\u2019 operating budgets).\n\u003Cp\u003EWe can, and should, blame some of this on Andrew Cuomo\u2019s indifference to CUNY\u2019s well-being. State funding has decreased 5 percent during his time as governor and the legislature \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gothamist.com\/news\/cuny-grapples-with-devastating-budget-cuts-people-are-freaking-out-or-getting-fired\u0022\u003Ewithheld 20\u003C\/a\u003E percent this fall. But we can, and should, also blame union leadership that has endorsed a two-tier wage system, refused to address the needs of contingent faculty, failed to bargain over things such as class sizes, and left its membership vulnerable to severely degraded working conditions.\u003Caside class=\u0022right hidden-on-mobile most-popular-plus-ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022most-popular hover_b_remove thenation-single-article-most-popular\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/aside\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022inline-counter\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe university seems to believe this neoliberal narrative of economics as a force of nature and they are acting accordingly. As Ben Lerner noted in \u003Cem\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/26\/opinion\/cuny-cuts-ben-lerner.html\u0022\u003EThe New York Times\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E, CUNY has become so used to its sacrificial role that it began attacking \u003Cem\u003Eitself\u003C\/em\u003E in anticipation of budget cuts. The Professional Staff Congress (PSC)\u2014the union that represents CUNY faculty and staff\u2014\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.bloomberglaw.com\/daily-labor-report\/cuny-sued-by-union-over-staff-faculty-laid-off-during-pandemic\u0022\u003Efiled a lawsuit\u003C\/a\u003E against the university following the mass firing, but strike action remains off the table. The injunction sought alleges that the university violated the terms of the CARES act, not the contract. Rather than rehiring adjuncts the university increased class sizes, to which the PSC has responded with petitions and calls for socially distanced protests. Media visibility and proof of grievances are not nothing, but they are decidedly not a demonstration of power\u2014something that professors, librarians, and other educators still hold. And a legal victory may benefit some workers in the distant future, but it crucially fails to build or demonstrate worker power. Legal and legislative avenues\u2014the preferred strategy of the PSC\u2014are simply not a replacement for organizing.\t\t\u003Caside class=\u0022left indent indents current-issue\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Ch4\u003ECurrent Issue\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022current-blocks\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/issue\/december-28-2020-january-4-2021-issue\/\u0022 class=\u0022no-target-blank\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/cover1228.jpg\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022\/\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/a\u003E\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022current-blocks\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/issue\/december-28-2020-january-4-2021-issue\/\u0022 class=\u0022textred-highlighted\u0022\u003EView our current issue\u003C\/a\u003E\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022magazine_text\u0022 id=\u0022magazine_text_372537\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022cta magazine_button\u0022 id=\u0022magazine_button_372537\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\t\t\n\t\t\u003Cscript \u003E\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tvar magazine_text_372537 = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar magazine_button_text_372537 = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar magazine_button_url_372537 = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar magazine_button_bg_color_372537 = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tvar is_user_logged_in = getCookie(\u0027SESSname\u0027);\t\t\t\tif( is_user_logged_in != null ){\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_text_372537 = \u0027\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan id=\u0022\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022socialHighlighted\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan 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class=\u0022\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022socialButtonHighlight\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022clickheresocial\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003EIf you like this article, please give today to help fund \u003Cem\u003EThe Nation\u003C\/em\u003E\u2019s work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0027;\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_button_text_372537 = \u0027\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022\u003E\u003Cinput type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022btn btn_ffcf0d\u0022 name=\u0022submit_sailthru\u0022 value=\u0022Donate\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0027;\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_button_url_372537 = \u0027https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/email-signup-module-donate\/\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_button_bg_color_372537 = \u0027#ffcf0d\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t}else{\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_text_372537 = \u0027\u003Cp\u003ESubscribe today and Save up to $129.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0027;\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_button_text_372537 = \u0027\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022\u003E\u003Cinput type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022btn btn_d41d00\u0022 name=\u0022submit_sailthru\u0022 value=\u0022Subscribe\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0027;\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_button_url_372537 = \u0027https:\/\/subscribe.thenation.com\/flex\/NA\/key\/G0EECAT\/\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_button_bg_color_372537 = \u0027#dd3333\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( magazine_text_372537 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#magazine_text_372537\u0022).html(magazine_text_372537);\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( magazine_button_text_372537 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#magazine_button_372537\u0022).html(magazine_button_text_372537);\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( magazine_button_url_372537 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#magazine_button_372537 a\u0022).attr(\u0022href\u0022,magazine_button_url_372537);\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( magazine_button_bg_color_372537 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#magazine_button_372537 a input\u0022).css(\u0022background\u0022,magazine_button_bg_color_372537);\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\u003C\/script\u003E\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\u003Cp\u003EChapters of PSC have passed resolutions at several campuses calling on the union to hold a strike authorization vote. If we are going to repair any of the damage that has been done over the past nine months and prevent a recurrence of this crisis, we need to leverage our collective power by demonstrating our willingness to strike over the quality of education being provided to our students\u2014which is intimately bound up with the quality of our own working lives.\n\u003Cp\u003EWe also need to be very clear about what it is that we are striking for. CUNY has recently announced that it will \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.psc-cuny.org\/news-events\/update-delayed-2-percent-raise\u0022\u003Ebe significantly delaying contractually guaranteed raises\u003C\/a\u003E. The explicit contract violation might produce a strike authorization vote, but the strike cannot be about a 2 percent raise. It needs to be about working conditions. The next contract needs language about class sizes, adjunct job security, and compensation\u2014monetary or otherwise\u2014for the increased workloads. Contingent faculty need much more than the small raise pegged to a productivity increase that came with the 2020 contract. As we saw with last semester\u2019s mass firings and increased class sizes, the precarity of CUNY\u2019s second-tier workers and the conditions that make good teaching possible\u2014or not\u2014are directly related: The ability to eliminate 3,000 members of the teaching faculty with no notice is the cause of ballooning class sizes. Ignoring the needs of adjuncts is a race to the bottom for students and instructors alike.\t\u003Caside class=\u0022left indent indents related-oneup\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\u003Ch4\u003ERelated Article\u003C\/h4\u003E\t\t\n\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022oneup-blocks\u0022\u003E \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022oneup-block-img\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/society\/covid-school-workers\/\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/hybrid-learning-janitor-gt-img.jpg?scale=228&compress=80\u0022 alt=\u0022The Nation\u0022\/\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/a\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/society\/covid-school-workers\/\u0022 class=\u0022related-oneup-click\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ch5\u003EFor Some Workers, Schools Never Closed\u003C\/h5\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022author\u0022\u003EMichelle Chen\u003C\/p\u003E\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\n \n \n \n\u003Cp\u003ENo one saw this coming; the absence of pandemic-specific language in the 2020 contract is no surprise. But the slow drift away from physical classrooms was already well underway and we should have been thinking about the particular challenges posed by remote learning\u2014the specific differences that this technology inserts into the job of teaching. If this disaster has taught us anything, it is that technology is part of working conditions and that technological change is something we need to bargain over. As a result of the transition to remote learning, adjunct and full-time faculty alike were forced to participate in what amounted to a university-wide speedup: doing far more work for the same wages. Now that faculty have done much of the work of overhauling their courses, they are subject once again to a speedup in the form of increased class sizes. They are also paying for the universities\u2019 physical plant in the form of electricity and internet bills, computer maintenance, and new equipment purchases. It is the union\u2019s job to make sure that we receive raises, but also to safeguard against the many ways that wages are lost.\n\u003Cp\u003EDemoralized and over-extended workers cost companies money through productivity losses. When the \u201cproduct\u201d is education, this demoralization translates into a degraded experience for students. For online teaching to work, classes need to be smaller than they usually are and teachers need more support, not less. Online classes cannot be allowed to become significantly cheaper versions of their physical counterparts through mushrooming class sizes and extra work smuggled in via technological changes.\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Ivy League will return to campus when this is over, but CUNY and other public universities that serve populations who society has deemed undeserving of anything but the bare minimum are going to need to fight for their existence. Believing that the worst outcome is inevitable is cynical. But thinking that this will be solved through the polite pressure of a petition is na\u00efve. Militant collective action is both hopeful and our only hope.\n\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/section\u003E\n\n\u003Csection class=\u0022aside-wrap\u0022\u003E\u003C\/section\u003E\n\u003Cfooter class=\u0022article-footer narrow new-article-footer\u0022 id=\u0022article-footer-372537\u0022\u003E\n\n\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022footer-module narrow author-bio\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\t\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/rh-lossin\/\u0022\u003E R.H. Lossin\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003ER.H. Lossin writes about labor, libraries, technology, contemporary art, and American radicalism. Her work has appeared in the \u003Cem\u003ENew Left Review\u003C\/em\u003E, \u003Cem\u003ESalvage\u003C\/em\u003E, \u003Cem\u003EBoston Review\u003C\/em\u003E, \u003Cem\u003EJacobin\u003C\/em\u003E, \u003Cem\u003EArt Agenda\u003C\/em\u003E, \u003Cem\u003EThe Brooklyn Rail\u003C\/em\u003E, and the \u003Cem\u003ENew York Review\u003C\/em\u003E. 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