Organizing Roundup - SUNY Research Assistants and Mental Health Workers

SUNY Research Assistants Reach Historic Levels of Representation With CWA 

Last week, 577 research assistants with the Research Foundation at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Buffalo voted 191 to 2 to join CWA. They are the last of the four university centers to join the union—making the representation of graduate assistants at SUNY nearly wall-to-wall. It brings the total of CWA Local 1104-represented research assistants to nearly 2,000, in addition to 4,700 teaching and graduate assistants at SUNY, the highest concentration since organizing began in the 1990s.

Organizers received assistance from CWA District 1 staff and CWA Locals 1104 and 1123. The CWA District 1 Political Department helped make sure SUNY and the Research Foundation took a position of neutrality, allowing workers to organize free from intimidation.

The majority of these workers are international student workers conducting scientific research at a time when their research and presence in this country are under attack. Those who participated in this union election went public and should be commended for their bravery.

Congratulations to our newest members at SUNY-Buffalo!

 
Workers at SUNY-Buffalo’s Research Foundation have voted overwhelmingly to join CWA.

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Mental Health Workers Vote to Join CWA 

Last month, mental health workers at Family and Children’s Services of Ithaca, in Ithaca, N.Y., formed their union with CWA.

A supermajority of workers, including clinicians, nurses, intake clinicians, behavioral healthcare coordinators, facilities workers, outreach workers, and clinic administrative coordinators, are requesting voluntary recognition from the company. They are seeking union representation to address issues common to the healthcare industry like chronic understaffing, low wages, and personal safety.

This campaign is building on momentum across the region after nurses at Cayuga Health won voluntary recognition earlier this year.

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.