All photos via PSC-CUNY.org.
On Wednesday, PSC-CUNY members demonstrated in response to 6 years without a contract at CUNY Central Administrative offices, where about 50 people were arrested. Prof. Stephanie Luce, one of many Murphy Institute community members who participated in the action, and one of four who were arrested, talks about her experience below:
Q. Why did you participate in the CD action?
A. I decided to participate in the civil disobedience action because I want to defend the idea of CUNY: a great public institution that is supported by the city and state. CUNY was created to provide a top-quality education to the people of New York City, and it is also a large employer providing good jobs to tens of thousands of people.
Q. What was most striking about the experience?
Luce: I am outraged at the idea that New York State and City have been reducing their commitment to CUNY, even when there is a state budget surplus and when CUNY’s fundraising is at an all-time high. Tuition is rising and students are increasingly required to pay for the basic operating costs that the state and city once paid for. New York City is one of the richest cities in the world and there is more than enough money there to fully fund CUNY. Yet policymakers and administrators appear to have bought into a neoliberal vision of how a university should be run: cut public investment and slowly privatize the system.
I wanted to express my support for a fair contract, but also defend the whole concept of fully funded and accessible public higher education. I’d love to see CUNY reduce its tuition and open its doors to more students!
Q. How did you experience the PSC and CUNY community’s support (e.g. students, other unions)?
Luce: It was great to participate in the action and get a chance to express my outrage and support for CUNY. It was a fantastic feeling to be with my coworkers in the action, and also have coworkers and students in the crowd cheering us as we were getting arrested.
Q. What do you take away from your CD action?
Luce: The experience of the arrest was interesting because the police treated us with respect. I believe this is because I am white, and female, and a professor. And perhaps because our union did a lot of work up front talking the police to negotiate the details of the action. The police officers that arrested us were from a special unit assigned to dealing with civil disobedience. Some of them were complaining about their own contracts. An arbitrator just awarded them a 2% raise for two years and the police were planning their own protest the day after ours. It was interesting to talk with them about their own contracts and what they thought about the value of protesting.
Q. How did your union support you?
Luce: I know many people who are arrested are not treated so well, and of course, there is lots of evidence that people of color get unfair and often brutal treatment from the police. I can also see how much worse the experience would be if you didn’t have resources or support. In our case the PSC handled all of the logistics and legal work.
Q. Where do you go from here?
Luce: We were charged with disorderly conduct and we need to go to court on December 15. In the meantime, PSC will be continuing the fight. On November 19 there is a mass meeting to vote on whether or not to go on strike. It is not legal for public sector workers in New York to strike, but it legal to vote to strike! We will continue to fight for a fair contract and a better, more accessible CUNY!
