Professional Staff Congress: Formation and First Contract
- The competition between the Legislative Conference (LC) and the United Federation of College Teachers (UFCT) to become the collective bargaining agent for CUNY's faculty and staff;
- The initial division into two bargaining units with the LC and the UFCT each representing some CUNY employees and negotiating the first contracts with CUNY in 1969;
- The merger of the LC and the UFCT in 1972 to form the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) – a merger entered into only under pressure from affiliates at the state and national levels;
- The struggle to negotiate the first contract for the unified bargaining unit that led to strike authorization votes by the membership of the PSC, mediation, "fact-finding", and finally an agreement in July 1973;
- And the effort by the CUNY Chancellor, Robert Kibbee, to establish tenure quotas for departments throughout the University in 1973.
This collection was curated by Irwin Yellowitz, a member of the PSC Executive Council from 1973 to 1997 and treasurer from 1984 to 1997.
Go to all 45 Items in collection.
9 Featured Items:
25 Years of Progress: Professional Staff Congress/CUNY
In celebration of their 25th anniversary, the Professional Staff Congress/CUNY (PSC) published this collection of articles written by Irwin Yellowitz, "professor emeritus of history at City College and a former PSC treasurer." The articles [...]
"Don't Sign Away Your Contract!"
In this item, the Legislative Conference (LC) voices disapproval of the ongoing efforts by the rival United Federation of College Teachers (UFCT) to replace the two bargaining units and two contracts that resulted from the collective bargaining [...]
"Sign the Petition for a New Collective Bargaining Election"
In this open letter from April 1971, Israel Kugler, president of the United Federation of College Teachers (UFCT), first outlines some of the serious problems facing his union and CUNY. He then calls for a new collective bargaining election, with [...]
LC-UFCT Merger Agreement
This is the full text of the merger agreement between the Legislative Conference (LC) and the United Federation of College Teachers (UFCT). The agreement was approved by the governing board of each organization, and then by the membership of each [...]
Audience at First PSC Contract Rally
This October 1972 mass meeting at the Marc Ballroom at Union Square, New York came at a time when the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) was deadlocked with CUNY administration during negotiations for the union's first contract following its [...]
NYSTA-UTNY Merger Agreement
This lengthy document lays out the terms of the merger between the New York State Teachers Association (NYSTA) and the United Teachers of New York (UTNY) set to take place on April 4, 1972. Previously the NYSTA had been affiliated with the National [...]
"Chancellor Rebuffed"
This press release from the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) announces the recent vote from CUNY faculty and staff in favor of a single bargaining unit instead of the three preferred by CUNY administration. Overwhelmingly in favor of single [...]
First Contract Meeting
This photograph shows the first meeting of the newly formed Professional Staff Congress (PSC) contract negotiating committee with CUNY administration. Negotiations were difficult and an agreement was not reached until July 1973. Pictured here [...]
PSC demonstration at Chambers St. Near City Hall
The Professional Staff Congress (PSC), the union of CUNY faculty and staff, staged this demonstration in 1976 in the midst of the city's fiscal crisis. Colleges were being threatened with closure and budgets were being cut. Union members urged [...]
