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An Appeal to the Faculty to Vote for a Strike

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You are probably aware that the FSC will soon be asking its
members to vote in a strike referendum. A strike at the City Uni-
versity would be a serious matter, and it should not be entered upon
lightly. Nonetheless, we are convinced that the crisis now facing
CUNY is of such magnitude that failure to vote for a strike could have
disasterous consequences for ug all,

We need not dwell on the immediate effects of the budget cuts
now being implemented. You are surely aware of the pattern, although
it varies somewhat from campus to campus: mass firings of adjuncts,
increased workloads for full-time faculty, increased fees for students,
cancellation of courses, curtailment in purchases of suplies, shorten-
ing of library hours, and so on, and on, In our view these consequen=
ces alone justify a strike to preserve the academic integrity of the
university.

As adjuncts we are, perhaps, biased in favor of strong action.
Large numbers of us have lost or stand to lose our only source of
employment. any of us are graduate students or recent Fh.).‘s unable
to find full-time positions in the present job market. We hope that
you will seriously consider the human cost of the sacrifice of the
adjuncts--more is involved here than the burdens of teaching an
extra course.

Have you also considered carefully the long-range consequences
of accepting an.inerease in workload? This is one of the most dan-
gerous concessions that can be made by the faculty or the union.
Acceptance of an increased workload will set a precedent which will
be extremely difficult to reverse. Even a salary reduction would be
preferable, since it would be easier-—to renezotiate-under more fav-
orable circumstances,

Accepting this increase will not put an end to concessions.
If these reductions are allowed to go through, the faculty will be
demoralized and the union so weakened that we will be defenseless
against additional impositions, If the BHZ is allowed to get away
with this illegal and vnilateral viclation of the FSC contract, it
will be encouraged to follow up its triumph with further ag7ressions
against the faculty, If these reductions are successfully imposed,
the city and state will continue to view CUNY as a prime target for
budget cuts. .‘urther reductions will lead directly to the dismissal
of full-time faculty. This is not an alarmist prediction. The
prospect of this happening is very reali in the light of the city's
financial crisis. The mayor has already approved, but the BHi not
yet Hae ean another “132 million reduction, According to the
PSC this new cut will Lead to the dismissal of 1,500 full- time faculty.
Up until now adjuncts have provided a “safety cushion" for full-time
faculty--the use of acjuncts as a “reserve labor force” has kept the
full-time faculty from feeling the most serious effects of the cuts.
But now that we are soins, you may be next.

We hope that the workload increases can be rescinded without
a strike; although the prospects of this happening appear dim. fven
without a strike, an affirmative strike vote will strengthen the
PSC’s negotiating position. This is no time for weakness and disunity.
Vote.yes on a strike refsrendum,

-The Adjunct faculty Association