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UAW Files Seven Unfair Labor Practice Charges Against Cornell University Amid Contract Talks

ITHACA — Over the past few weeks, the UAW has filed seven separate unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Cornell University, citing violations of workers’ rights and federal labor laws amid ongoing contract negotiations. The agreement, covering more than 1,200 workers, expired at midnight on Sunday, June 30.

In response to these charges, UAW Local 2300 President Christine Johnson stated, “Our members are the backbone of Cornell, yet the administration thinks it can divide us and intimidate us by distributing union busting talking points to managers and stomping on our rights. These unfair labor practice charges are a necessary step to keep Cornell in check. Instead of breaking our union, Cornell should be focused on negotiating a record contract without violating the law.”

The charges filed with the NLRB cite various violations by Cornell University, including but not limited to: 

Retaliation Against Union Activities: The UAW asserts that Cornell University has engaged in retaliatory actions against workers who have participated in union activities or expressed support for the union.

Interference with Workers’ Rights: The UAW claims that Cornell University has unlawfully interfered with workers’ rights to organize, bargain collectively, and engage in other concerted activities for mutual aid and protection.

Discrimination Against Union Members: The charges cite discriminatory treatment against workers based on their union membership or activities.

Failure to Bargain in Good Faith: The UAW contends that Cornell University has failed to bargain in good faith with the union regarding wages, benefits, and working conditions.

Cornell workers are demanding an agreement that reflects wealth Cornell has amassed and  includes the long overdue fair wages and working conditions workers deserve.

The membership, made up of maintenance and facilities workers, dining workers, gardeners, custodians, transportation workers and others, are facing declining real wages even as Cornell’s endowment has ballooned and tuition revenue has skyrocketed. Over the past four years, Cornell’s endowment has soared 39% to nearly $10 billion and tuition has increased 13% – all while workers’ buying power has fallen 5%.

On the heels of the UAW’s historic Stand Up Strike and record contracts with the Big Three automakers, and as tens of thousands of workers across the country continue organizing to join the UAW, workers at Cornell University are standing up for fair pay, cost of living adjustments (COLA), and a better future for the working class. 

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UAW Statement on President Biden’s Candidacy

Today, the United Auto Workers thanks President Joe Biden for his incredible term of service, and the leadership he has shown in putting country before self, once again, in passing the torch to a new generation. 

Joe Biden made history by joining us on our picket line last September and has stood shoulder to shoulder with the working class throughout his term in office. Vice President Kamala Harris walked the picket line with us in 2019, and along with President Biden has brought work and jobs back to communities like Lordstown, Ohio, and Belvidere, Illinois. That’s the legacy President Biden leaves, and that’s the work we will continue to build on as a union. While Donald Trump lies about rebuilding the auto industry, the fact is that while he was in office, autoworkers in Lordstown were left for dead by GM in 2019 while he said and did nothing. 

The path forward is clear: we will defeat Donald Trump and his billionaire agenda and elect a champion for the working class to the highest office in this country. We will speak truth to power about the issues that matter to the working class: a living wage, decent healthcare, a dignified retirement, and taking our lives and our time back. And we will Stand Up for our members and the whole working class in the fight for economic and social justice on and off the job. 

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UAW Members Ratify Unprecedented Contract at BMW in the Lehigh Valley

BMW workers at the distribution center in Palmer Township, Pennsylvania, have voted more than 2-to-1 to ratify a new contract securing raises of up to 33% and ending the two-tier wage system over the life of the agreement. 

The agreement also introduces major improvements to policies on time off, uniforms, overtime exemptions, and attendance. The deal comes after workers at the BMW facility, who package and ship parts, as well as all BMW motorcycles, to BMW’s dealer network, built a credible strike threat that forced the company to offer a contract that properly reflects workers’ immense value.

BMW has raked in a massive $50 billion in profits since 2021 and paid out $7.2 billion to shareholders last year alone. Company CEO Oliver Zipse was generously rewarded with a nearly $10 million payday in 2023. Yet, workers at the facility saw their standard of living continue to decline as wages and benefits stagnated for years.  

“The company has been making billions in profits while many of us had gone for years without a raise, which is unacceptable,” said Zach Haas, the chief steward and bargaining unit chair. “We used our collective power, including the very real threat of withholding our labor, to win a great deal that rewards our work and gives us a stronger voice and platform for making the plant safer.”

Many workers will receive an 11% raise immediately. The new agreement also contains a new process to guarantee that workers’ safety and health concerns are heard and dealt with in a timely and appropriate manner. These BMW workers are the latest UAW members to win big as part of the Stand Up Movement.

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The Bronx Defenders Union Announces Unlimited Unfair Labor Practice Strike Beginning Week of July 22, 2024

Bronx, NY  – On July 2, 2024, one day after the contract between The Bronx Defenders (BxD) and its wall-to-wall union, The Bronx Defenders Union–UAW Local 2325 (BxD Union), expired, BxD Union’s Bargaining Committee voted to authorize an unlimited Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike beginning the week of July 22, 2024.

The difficult decision to authorize a strike comes after the Bargaining Committee attempted for months to engage BxD’s executive management team in bargaining without success. BxD’s failure to bargain in good faith—an unfair labor practice—has left BxD Union with no choice but to call for a strike. 

“For the past six months, the Bargaining Committee has worked tirelessly to meet the demands of all 260 of our members. BxD Management, in their failure to bargain in good faith, has shown us that they don’t serve the Bronx communities we defend. Sadly, the solidarity, equity, and empathy with which our union operates appears foreign to them,” said Tyler Johnson, Bronx native, Civil Legal Advocate, and member of the Bargaining Committee. “Nonetheless, BxD Union stands ready to show BxD Management the value of our labor and the power of our collective solidarity. We cannot be bullied, gaslit, or intimidated. We’re ready to strike.”

The Bargaining Committee was empowered to call for a strike by a historic strike authorization vote. On June 27, 2024, with 93% of members participating, 93% of BxD Union voted to authorize the Bargaining Committee to call for a strike if necessary. With this vote, BxD Union became the first of the alternate providers formed after 1994 to authorize a strike in thirty years, since the Legal Aid Society went on strike under Mayor Giuliani.

Members of BxD Union cannot effectively defend the people of the Bronx when they are among the lowest-paid public defenders in New York City, contending with high attrition and unmanageable caseloads. On strike, they will protest BxD’s unfair labor practices and call for competitive salaries and benefits, no rollbacks of existing benefits and protections, a one-year contract, and key noneconomic benefits, including free speech and sustainable working conditions.

BxD Union is prepared to return to the bargaining table and make every effort to avoid this strike. BxD’s management can avert the extreme disruption a strike will cause, including interruption of client services, by agreeing to BxD Union’s reasonable contractual framework.

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UAW Reaches Historic Agreement at BMW’s Regional Distribution Center in the Lehigh Valley 

Palmer Township, PA — UAW members who work at the BMW Regional Distribution Center in Palmer Township, PA, have won a historic tentative agreement that, if ratified, includes record wage increases and ends the two-tier wage system. The agreement also introduces major improvements to policies on time off, uniforms, overtime exemptions, and attendance. The deal comes after workers at the BMW facility built a credible strike threat that forced the company to offer a contract that properly reflects workers’ immense value.  
 
“We knew that if we stuck together and refused to be divided, we could win,” said Zach Haas, chief steward and bargaining unit chair. “This agreement is going to mean a better life for me and my coworkers.”  
 
BMW has raked in a massive $50 billion in profits since 2021 and paid out $7.2 billion to shareholders last year alone. Company CEO Oliver Zipse was generously rewarded with a nearly $10 million payday in 2023. Yet, workers at the facility have seen their standard of living continue to decline as wages and benefits have stagnated for years.  
 
For weeks, workers ramped up their campaign to win a record contract before the current agreement’s June 30 expiration. They organized red shirt days and held multiple rallies in front of the BMW facility, with community leaders often joining them to offer their support.  
 
On June 8, members voted by 99% to authorize a strike, sending a clear message to BMW that workers were more than willing to walk if the company continued to lowball negotiations. 
 
“I couldn’t be prouder of these workers for demanding better working conditions and a better life for themselves,” said UAW Region 9 Director Daniel Vicente. “They stood together and showed BMW that they were willing to do what needed to be done to win what they know they deserve. They’re a testament to the power of solidarity.”  
 
Workers at the RDC will attend informational meetings and vote on the agreement in the coming days.  
 
The record tentative agreement at the BMW-RDC follows a string of contract victories for the UAW, including major wins at the Big Three automakers, Daimler Truck, Allison Transmission, and Aramark, among others. 

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UAW Members at Cornell University Speak Out Ahead of Contract Expiration

UAW Local 2300 members who work at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, are speaking out about unsustainable working conditions and declining living standards despite the institution’s nearly $10 billion endowment. The union and Cornell kicked off contract bargaining on June 4 and the current agreement expires on June 30.

In a new video released by the UAW, “We are the Heart, Soul, and Backbone of Cornell,” workers share their struggles to make ends meet as their wages have stagnated and the cost of living continues to rise. Over 1,000 members of UAW Local 2300 are demanding a living wage, cost-of-living adjustments to protect against inflation, and increased staffing, among other key demands.

The video can be accessed here, and the media is invited to use the footage.

“House is double. Tax is double. Food is double. And tuition is double also,” Gopini Lama, a food service worker at Cornell, says in the video. “Everything doubled, but our pay did not double.”

Since 2020, the university’s endowment has increased by a staggering 39% while many workers can no longer afford to live in Ithaca or even pay for parking on campus.

“I don’t own a single thing in this life except for a 12-year-old car,” says Mitja Bontempo, a gardener at the university. “I don’t have the money to marry and have kids if I want to. They take us for granted. We are not adequately recognized and compensated. That’s the bottom line.”

“We’re chronically short-staffed. We’re chronically dealing with at least one or two positions absent,” says Leo Louis, a greenhouse grower at Cornell. “So that’s where you get into a situation where you’re working seven, eight days in a row. But you don’t get overtime, so workers burn out. So, then you’re more likely to lose more people.”

Negotiations are taking place at Cornell during a historic wave of unionization at college and universities across the country as workers continue to stand up and demand justice on and off the job.

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VIDEO: Ultium Members Vote 98% to Ratify Contract that Sets New Standard for EV Industry

LORDSTOWN, Ohio – UAW Local 1112 members voted overwhelmingly to ratify their historic contract at Ultium Cells, which builds battery cells for GM electric vehicles. The local contract, approved by 98% over the weekend, sets a new standard for the EV industry with strong wages and benefits and historic health and safety protections.  

The Ultium workers speak about the contract victory in a new video launched today by the UAW. The video can be accessed here, and the media is invited to use the footage.  

“It enables me to just go ahead and move forward in life rather than living from paycheck to paycheck,” said Ultium worker Donald Bevly. 

“This is setting a precedent that can be built on,” said Ultium worker Chris Wyatt. “This is a guideline that every other EV plant can follow through with.”  

When Ultium opened in 2021, the workers were nonunion, they made just $16.50 an hour, and the EV industry was in a race to the bottom. But the Ultium workers organized with the UAW in late 2022 and during the Stand Up Strike, they were brought under the GM national agreement.  

By October 2027, Ultium production workers will make $35 an hour, 112% more than before they joined the UAW. The contract includes:  

  • 30% raise over three years for production workers
  • Immediate $3,000 bonus
  • Four full-time union health and safety representatives in the plant as well as a full-time union industrial hygienist on site 

“The benefits are just the best benefits I’ve had in my life,” said Ultium worker Lori Lovitz. “Paid hospitalization, holiday pay. I’ve never had this many paid holidays. Job security.”  

Another Ultium plant is beginning operations in Spring Hill, Tenn., and battery plants that will employ tens of thousands of workers are being built across the country. The Ultium contract sets a powerful precedent for those facilities and the entire EV industry.   

For more details about the agreement, visit uaw.org/ultium

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Nurses, Medics at CareFlight Vote to Join the UAW

Dayton, OH – On Wednesday, June 12, more than 70 nurses and medics at CareFlight servicing Miami Valley Hospital voted to join the UAW.

The workers provide critical care to severely injured or ill patients in need of immediate treatment via air or ground transportation. They are looking to improve working conditions, including fairer wages and benefits and have a greater voice on the job.

“This was an amazing morning,” shared Nikki Coleman, a flight nurse at CareFlight. “We look forward to having our voices heard and our needs addressed in a fair and transparent contract.”

She added, “Most importantly, we remain dedicated to serving our community by providing the very best service.”

“UAW Region 2B is proud to welcome the CareFlight nurses out of Miami Valley Hospital into our union,” said UAW Region 2B Director David Green. “Their desire to stand up and use their voices to fight for a fair and just contract has been heard.”

He added, “I want to personally thank the volunteer organizing committee (VOC) for all their hard work, and I commend Bill Lucas out of the organizing department and Eric Gadd, R2B servicing representative, for their support to the CareFlight nurses. When we work together, we win every time! Welcome to the UAW!”

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UAW Members at Pennsylvania BMW Distribution Center Vote to Authorize Strike, If Necessary

Nazareth, PA – On Saturday, June 8, workers at BMW’s Regional Distribution Center in Nazareth, PA, voted by 99% to authorize a strike if necessary. The contract covers warehouse workers and expires on June 30.

The workers at the distribution center are facing stagnant wages and calls for concessions against a backdrop of rising cost of living and massive profits and shareholder payouts by BMW. Many of the workers have gone without a pay increase for over a decade, and the wage for most at the facility is less than $22 per hour, far lower than what economists estimate it costs for a family to live in the region.

“We’re part of the reason BMW’s raked in billions in profits, but workers in Nazareth haven’t seen that translate into pay raises. In fact, we’re falling behind,” said Zach Haas, bargaining unit chair. “We’re united and ready to join the stand up movement if we need to so we can get our fair share.” 

BMW has amassed $50 billion since 2021, with more than 20% of its revenue generated in the United States. The company has spent more than $3 billion in stock buyback schemes in the last two years and has announced plans to lavish another $1 billion on Wall Street shareholders in the future. BMW CEO Oliver Zipse received $9.6 million in total compensation last year alone.

BMW workers are the latest UAW members standing up to corporate greed. Thousands of UAW members have won record contracts in the last year, including auto workers at Daimler Truck, the Big Three automakers, and Allison Transmission workers in Indianapolis, IN.

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UAW Members at Ultium Cells in Lordstown Reach EV Industry-Defining Tentative Agreement

UAW Local 1112 has reached a historic tentative agreement at Ultium Cells in Lordstown, Ohio, where workers build electric vehicle batteries for GM vehicles. The agreement marks a historic breakthrough for electric vehicle workers and a path forward that ends the race to the bottom pursued by corporate America throughout the EV transition.

The local agreement builds on the successes of the national contract that Ultium workers joined as a major win of the Stand Up Strike.

“Eighteen months ago, this company was on a low road path to poverty wages, unsafe conditions, and a dark future for battery workers in America,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “Ultium workers said, ‘Hell no,’ got organized, and fought back. Now they’ve more than doubled their wages by the end of this contract, won record health and safety language, and showed the world what it means to win a just transition.”

“We were told at the beginning of bargaining that Ultium workers would never be allowed to join the UAW’s national agreement at GM,” said UAW Vice President Mike Booth. “Not only did we prove them wrong, but we did them one better, winning a major local agreement that sets the standard for the EV battery industry.”

“Five years ago, when they closed Lordstown Assembly, it was a major gut punch – I know, I lived it,” said UAW Region 2B Director David Green. “They wrote Lordstown off for dead. They thought we’d settle for low wages and unsafe jobs. They thought wrong, and now Ultium workers are leading the way.”

“Organizing to win our union took relentless persistence on behalf of hundreds of my coworkers at Ultium. Negotiating this contract was no different,” said UAW Local 1112 Shop Chairman Josh Ayers. “We want this agreement to become a cornerstone for current and future battery plants across the nation. First we planned. Then we took action. And now we have a tentative agreement to be proud of.”

Now, the 1,600 UAW members at Ultium Cells will review the details of the agreement and hold a ratification vote in the coming days. If ratified, the agreement will set a new standard for electric vehicle battery workers everywhere and mark a major milestone in the just transition to EVs.

For more on the fight for justice at Ultium, visit UAW.org/Ultium.

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