Trevor Clarke is a writer and a graduate student at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies.
At the City University of New York, academic workers have been fighting for a new union contract for over a year. They are resisting austerity and further corporatization of the university, pushed by politicians and university administrators alike.
Fired after asking for a raise, minimum-wage workers at a Jollibee in Jersey City fought for back pay and reinstatement. After a nearly yearlong campaign against the fast-food chain, the workers won.
At Middlesex College in New Jersey, faculty have been working without a contract for nearly three years. Their contract battle is a window into the fight over higher ed’s future erupting across the US — including at less-discussed community colleges.