Union Representation

Cornell is pleased to announce that it has reached a tentative agreement with the CGSU-UE on an overall collective bargaining agreement covering graduate student workers in the positions of teaching assistants (TAs), graduate research assistants (GRAs), research assistants (RAs), and graduate assistants (GAs).

The parties’ tentative agreement achieves Cornell’s bargaining objectives, includes better-than industry-standard language, and many “win-win” solutions that were the result of extensive negotiations. The positive outcome of this process reflects the very best of this university and community.

We sincerely thank the members of the Cornell bargaining committee, which includes dedicated faculty and staff who have devoted countless hours working through a number of difficult issues to reach an excellent outcome for the university in these negotiations.

Key Terms of the Tentative Agreement

The full text of the parties’ agreements can be found on the bargaining tracker and the key terms are listed below. The CGSU-UE bargaining committee has agreed to unanimously recommend the terms of the agreement to its membership. The agreement remains subject to ratification by the CGSU-UE members and by Cornell, which we expect will occur over the next few weeks.

Graduate student workers should carefully review the key terms below and the full text of the agreements and promptly ratify this excellent deal. Details include:

• Term: The agreement goes into effect when it is ratified and extends until May 1, 2027. The parties have agreed to create a joint labor-management committee (with an equal number of union and university members) that will oversee the implementation of the agreement from the period of ratification through July 1, 2025.
• Compensation:
  • Stipends: Beginning fall 2025, the minimum stipend for graduate student workers in Ithaca will be $47,548, which includes a 3.9% increase to the base stipend plus a $544 benefits adjustment that covers dental and vision insurance costs and access to Cornell Fitness Centers; and in fall 2026, $48,911, which includes a 2.9% increase to the base stipend plus a $544 benefits adjustment. For Cornell Tech graduate student workers, the minimum stipend will be $59,029 (fall 2025) and $60,719 (fall 2026).
  • Ratification Payment: All current graduate student workers will receive $1,300 upon ratification, ensuring graduating student workers will receive payments now.
  • Matriculation Payment: All new doctoral students will receive $750 beginning fall 2025 to help cover relocation costs, visa fees, and other priorities.
  • Medical Benefits: Graduate student workers will receive platinum SHP insurance with no cost for self-coverage. Gender, reproductive, sexual and mental health care are all included. The $544 stipend benefit adjustment noted above may also be used for dental and vision self-coverage, as well as access to fitness centers.
  • Transportation: Graduate student workers in Ithaca will receive free TCAT bus passes and a more streamlined system for buying parking permits.
  • Tuition/Fees: Tuition will continue to be covered for graduate student workers with assistantship appointments and prorated for those with partial appointments, meaning these students get an excellent education at no cost.
  • Vacation: Cornell has agreed to increase vacation days by 20%, from ten (10) to twelve (12) days, as well as continue to provide paid sick leave and paid holidays.
• International Student Benefits: International graduate student workers will receive a new benefit in the form of five (5) working days of paid release to attend U.S. immigration, citizenship or visa proceedings / appointments.
• Parental/Childcare Benefits: Parental leave accommodation will be doubled, increasing from six (6) weeks to twelve (12) weeks following the birth, adoption or placement of a child. Cornell has also agreed to maintain its Student-Parent Dependent Care Grant and provide funding of no less than $350,000 annually to provide student-parents with support for childcare needs.
• Management Rights: The parties have agreed to industry-standard language – including language the UE has agreed to at other peer universities – which allows the union and the university to play their respective roles.
• Discipline/Discharge: The parties have also agreed to industry-standard language here – including language the UE has agreed to at other peer universities – which provides that discipline or discharge from job-related conduct (but not academic matters or other non-employment misconduct) will be governed by the “just cause” standard of review.
• Union Security: The university held firm for a Union Security provision that will allow individuals who object to joining the union and paying union dues to continue their studies at Cornell. This agreement preserves freedom of choice for students who object to union membership while still recognizing the contractual agreement between the union and the university. There are three different choices for graduate student workers: (i) join the union and pay dues; (ii) do not join the union and pay an agency fee to the union; or (iii) do not join the union and advise the union of a religious objection (including on moral or ethical grounds) and donate an equivalent amount to a charitable organization (United Way, American Heart Association, or American Cancer Society) on a monthly basis.
• No Strike/No Lockout: As is industry standard in collective bargaining agreements, the parties have agreed that CGSU-UE and its members will not engage in any strike activity and Cornell will not lock out bargaining unit members during the contract.

If you have additional questions about the terms of the parties’ tentative agreement, please do not hesitate to contact graduateunionupdate@cornell.edu.