Graduate students at Cornell University have overwhelmingly voted in favor of unionization, marking a significant shift in the academic landscape.
The Ithaca Voice reported Sunday that Cornell Graduate Students United (CGSU) revealed that an impressive 96% of the 1,953 votes cast supported unionization at the prestigious Ivy League institution.
The vote reflects a unified stance across various departments, from humanities to STEM and social sciences, signaling a collective desire for improved conditions and representation.
This comes after a recent study from Cornell’s Industrial Labor Relations school, which calculated the living wage in Tompkins County at $18.45 per hour, or $38,373 annually, reflecting an 11% increase from 2022.
Graduate students often work more than 40 hours a week, underscoring the necessity of the union’s efforts to improve their working conditions and overall quality of life.
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