Over 1,200 Cornell University employees represented by United Auto Workers Local 2300 voted to ratify a labor agreement with the university on Monday that will “substantially improve compensation and benefits for the University’s service and maintenance workers,” the university announced Tuesday.
The new contract — which applies to workers who include maintenance and facilities workers, groundskeepers, food service workers, greenhouse workers, gardeners and mechanics — goes into effect immediately. UAW reported that 77% of members voted for the four-year contract, which secures wage increases of up to 25.4%, the first increase in cost-of-living allowances and “significant improvements” to policies on time off, uniforms, inclement weather and safety protection.
The new contract also eliminates a two-tier wage system that had prevented workers from reaching the highest wages offered for their positions based on the date they started working for Cornell, the Ithaca Voice reported. Despite the historic pay increases, most workers represented by the UAW will not see their wages increase past $24.64 an hour, the living wage for the county where Cornell is located, until 2026, according to the Ithaca Voice.
The 15-day strike may have been the longest in Cornell University’s history, Corey Ryan Earle, principal gifts associate team lead and visiting lecturer in Cornell’s American Studies program, said in a post on X.
Workers represented by the union went on strike Aug. 18, the university’s new-student move-in day, after months of negotiations failed to result in a proposal that the parties could agree upon.
Prior to the strike, Cornell University was offering $37 million in new wages and benefits over the life of the contract, UAW said. The ratified contract adds another $6 million to “eliminate tiers, pay living wages, and introduce [cost-of-living adjustments] to protect wages from inflation,” it said.
“The membership was ready to do things differently in these negotiations, and they built the collective power to force Cornell to say ‘Yes’ to a truly unprecedented contract,” UAW Local 2300 President Christine Johnson said in a statement.
“Welcome back to those who have been on strike and once again, thank you to the countless staff and faculty who helped to fill operational gaps caused by the strike, and to the community as a whole for your continued patience,” Cornell University said in a statement Tuesday.
