2020-2021 City Budget Request

2020-2021C B
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CUNY SCHOOL OF LABOR AND URBAN STUDIES
LABOR AND COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD

New York State AFL-CIO Local 32BJ, Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Mario Cilento, President Kyle Bragg, President

New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100
Vincent Alvarez, President Anthony Utano, President

Local 1180, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 94, International Union of Operating Engineers
Gloria Middleton, President Kuba Brown, Business Manager/Financial Secretary
*Arthur Cheliotes, Board Chair
Local 1549, NYC Clerical-Administrative Employees
District Council 37, American Federation of State, County, Eddie Rodriguez, President
& Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Professional Staff Congress (PSC)
Henry Garrido, Executive Director Barbara Bowen, President
Workers United (SEIU)
Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE)
Edgar Romney, Secretary-Treasurer Lowell Peterson, Executive Director
1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
Region 9A, United Auto Workers (UAW)
George Gresham, President Beverly Brakeman, Director
1199SEIU Training and Upgrading Fund
Local 371, Social Service Employees Union (SSEU)
Sandi Vito, Executive Director Anthony Wells, President
United Federation of Teachers (UFT)
District 1, Communications Workers of America (CWA)
Michael Mulgrew, President Dennis G. Trainor, Vice President, CWA District 1
Public Employees Federation (PEF)
New York Committee on Occupational Safety and Health
Wayne Spence, President Charlene Obernauer, Executive Director
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), Region 2
Community Voices Heard
Lester Crockett, President Afua Atta-Mensah, Executive Director
Local 237, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT)
New York Communities for Change
Gregory Floyd, President Jonathan Westin, Executive Director
Consortium for Worker Education (CWE)
New York Immigration Coalition
Joseph McDermott, Executive Director Steve Choi, Executive Director
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
State & Broadway, Inc.
Gerald Hudson, Executive Vice President Richard Winsten, Esq

* denotes Advisory Board Chair 5/27/2020

The CUNY SCHOOL of LABOR and URBAN STUDIES
Dedicated to Public Service and Social Justice

AT A GLANCE
The School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU) traces its roots to three decades of service as the Murphy
Institute, and opened its doors as a self-standing CUNY School in September 2018. The vision for this new
School derives from its core values: access to education, equality, diversity and social justice. Its goals are
to a) expand higher educational opportunities for workers and help achieve greater economic mobility; b)
help prepare the next generation of labor and civic leaders; and c) serve the labor and broader communities.

To accomplish its goals, SLU stands on four pillars:

1) Workforce Development: providing higher educational opportunities for workers while meeting the
economic development needs of the City and State;

2) Labor Studies: offering certificate and degree programs that focus on the study of work, workers,
and worker organizations;

3) Urban studies: offering certificate and degree programs that focus on urban problems as well as the
policies and practices designed to alleviate those problems; and

4) Service to the Community: conducting applied research, providing public programming, developing
educational material, and offering civic engagement and leadership development programs to the
community.

SLU prides itself on providing small classes, a faculty of distinguished scholars and practitioners, pro-
active counseling, specialized tutoring, and an array of academic support mechanisms.

Students: SLU enrolls over 1,200 students. Nearly 400 students are enrolled in SLU’s undergraduate and
graduate programs in Labor Studies and Urban Studies. These students are seeking to deepen their
understanding of urban and and labor issues, develop their analytical advocacy skills, and attain
professional credentials. At the same time, SLU’s Worker Education program serves the needs of over 800
workers – both employed and unemployed – who are seeking a liberal arts education and/or educational
programs that will help them advance their careers.

Faculty: The School’s faculty includes both academics and activists: renowned scholars in the social
sciences as well as distinguished professionals from a variety of fields including government, labor, the
non-profit sector, and public service.

Success: Overall graduation rates for SLU significantly outpace national rates by nearly 10% – and most
significantly, the percentage of degrees awarded to black and brown students (80% of total) surpasses the
national average (18%) by 62 points.

Union Participation: The work of the School is guided by an Advisory Board composed of twenty-two
unions and several community groups. These organizations – collectively representing over one half
million workers – provide more than $4 million annually in tuition support for their members enrolled in
the School’s program.

Funding: The School receives a base budget allocation from the City University ($1.3 million) and
supplemental funding from the State ($3.6 million) and City ($1.2 million).

CITY COUNCIL FUNDING REQUEST 2019-2020: $1.2 million in restoration. This funding
provides academic and administrative support services ($300,000); increased access to higher education
and career counseling ($260,000); pre-college and basic education for workers ($240,000); research on
workforce development ($150,000); and financial aid for part-time students ($250,000).

THE CUNY SCHOOL of LABOR and URBAN STUDIES: FAST FACTS

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

• SLU is the only School of its kind in the nation, offering an interdisciplinary approach to urban and
labor studies taught by world renowned scholars and practitioners.

• Thirty percent of its full-time and consortial faculty are either named chairs or Distinguished
Professors – designations awarded by the University in recognition of their exceptional scholarly
achievement. As a group, the faculty have an extraordinary record of scholarship: they have created
new knowledge, published influential books and essays, shaped public policy, and prepared
generations of new leaders in the academy and society at large. The School’s practitioners are
Distinguished Lecturers and recognized in their own right for their expertise and achievement in the
field.

• The academic program at SLU is known for its excellence and rigor.

A DIVERSE STUDENT BODY

• 81% of the students enrolled at SLU are students of color, and 74% are black or brown. (See Table 1)
• 68% of the graduate students enrolled at SLU are black or brown, as compared to 36% for CUNY

overall and 21% for the nation. (See Table 2)
• 59% of SLU’s undergrads and 62% of its graduate students are women.
• The composition of the SLU’s student body has not varied more than 1 percentage point in the past 5

years.

A RECORD OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS
• 27% of SLU’s undergraduate student body earns their degrees each year (as compared to 22% for
CUNY overall, and 18% nationally).
• 43% of SLU’s graduate student body earns their degrees each year (as compared to 40% for CUNY
overall and 28% nationally).
• 67% of the undergraduate degrees awarded by SLU are conferred to under-represented minorities (as
compared to 47% for CUNY overall, and 23% nationally).
• 80% of the graduate degrees awarded by SLU are conferred to under-represented minorities (as
compared to 35% for CUNY overall, and 18% nationally).

Table I: SLU Enrollment by Ethnicity Enrollment

for Academic Year Ending 2019

0%

7%
19%

19% American Indian or Native Alaskan
55% Asian or Pacific Islander
Black/African-American
Hispanic
White

Table 2: Enrollment of Under-Represented Minorities (URM)
SLU v. CUNY for Academic Year Ending 2019

National CUNY SLU 67.9%
81.3%
51.8%
20.6%
32.9% 36.4%

Undergraduate Graduate

Table 3: Degree Conferred by Enrollment
Percentage of Students Earning a Degree of Total

Enrollment for Academic Year 2019

National CUNY SLU

43.2%

40.0%

27.3% 27.9%

22.0%

17.5%

Undergraduate Graduate

Table 4: Degrees Conferred
Under-Represented Minority Degrees Conferred as

a Percentage of Total for Academic Year 2019

National CUNY SLU

80.0%

66.7%

46.7%

35.0%

22.5% 17.8%

Undergraduate Graduate

May 30, 2020

Hon. Corey Johnson
Speaker, New York City Council
New York, N.Y

Dear Speaker Johnson,

We know that this is a very difficult and challenging time and that demands on public officials
are many. Nevertheless, we are writing to you now to urge your continued support for the CUNY
School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU). We are submitting this request on behalf of the
School’s Advisory Board and as a follow-up to its correspondence of March 2nd (attached). We
reiterate the Board’s appeal for restoration of funding, this time with an increased sense of
urgency.

Like other units of the University, SLU will certainly face across-the-board budget cuts. In the
case of SLU, however, there are two differences. First, budget cuts beyond those that are across
the Board will make SLU unsustainable. City Council funding ($1.2 million) is a very large part
of the School’s operating budget, so loss of funding from the Council would have a
disproportional and devastating impact on the School. Secondly, as CUNY’s 25th and newest
self-standing unit, SLU is the smallest and youngest unit of the University, making it the most
vulnerable politically. Given the nature of its funding and the critical stage of its development,
restoration of City Council’s $1.2 million allocation for SLU is essential.

The School of Labor and Urban Studies was born as a partnership between organized labor and
the City Council. As the only school dedicated to public service and social justice its three-part
mission underscores the need for sustained budgetary support, especially during this pandemic.

SLU’s mission is to:
1) Establish new workforce development opportunities for workers to obtain the skills and

knowledge they need for employment, thus promoting their financial stability and economic
mobility
2) Prepare the next generation of labor and community leaders to ensure strong democratic
institutions and a more just and equitable society in the future

3) Serve the labor and broader community through applied research, publications, public
programming, and social services that address the critical needs of poor and working-class
people.

As union leaders and City Council members, we can be very proud of our accomplishments in
establishing SLU. This important institution now enrolls over 1,300 students in its degree programs
and several thousand more in its non-credit courses and public programs. We can’t risk losing it now.

On behalf of the School’s Labor Advisory Board, we ask that you do whatever you can to preserve
SLU’s budget.

With very best wishes,

Gloria Middleton Arthur Cheliotes
President, Local 1180 Chair, Advisory Board
Communications Workers of America CUNY School of Labor & Urban Studies

c. Council Member Daneek Miller
Council Member Inez Barron

LOCAL1180 COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA, AFL-CIO

6 Harrison Street New York, NY 10013-2898 • (212) 226-6565 Fax: (212) 966-6�31

GLORIA MIDDLETON March 2, 2020
President

Hon. Corey .Johnson
Speaker, City Council
250 Broadway, Suite 1804
New York, NY I 0007

Dear Speaker Johnson:

I am writing to you as Chair of the Advisory Board of CUNY's School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU) to
_urge your support of the School's budget for 2020-2021. (As you know, SLU is an outgrowth of the former

Murphy Institute.) The new CUNY School opened its doors in September 2018, marking a major victory for
workers, the labor movement, and this great City. In large pa,t, this achievement was made possible by
advocacy and budgetary support from the New York City Council. Today, the Advisory Board asks the Council
to allocate ($1.6 million in this year's budget cycle ($1.2 million in restorations and $400,000 in enhancements).
These resources are necessary to help SLU increase student enrollments, sustain and expand services, and make
steady progress towards the School's goals.

The goals-as well as the vision and mission of the School-are noble. SLU is dedicated to expanding higher

education opportunities for workers and working-class communities. With over 400 students now in its core
academic programs and nearly 1,000 in workforce development programs, the School aims to double
enrollments in the next five years. Its goal is to prepare well-informed, highly skilled leaders for social
institutions, including the labor movement, community organizations, civic agencies, and government. It is
committed to diversity in leadership and scholarship and insists upon intellectual rigor as well as practical

learning. This multi-faceted vision requires commitment to four principles-four ·'pillars"-on which the new
School stands:

I) Workforce Development: Education programs to help workers advance their careers and their economic
mobility while helping the City and State address their economic needs

2) Labor Sh1dies: Certificate and degree programs that focus on the study of work, workers, and worker
organizations.

3) Urban Studies: Certificate and degree programs that focus on urban problems as well as policies and
practices designed to address those problems.

4) Service to the Community: Fostering civic engagement through public programming, applied research,

publications (including a journal and educational materials), and leadership development for
diverse communities

The Advisory Board urges you to restore and increase City Council funding for the School this year. We thank
you for advocating on behalf of the School in the past and look forward to future support from the Council.

�c���Sincerely,

Arthur Cheliotes
Chair, Advisory Board, School of Labor and Urban Studies
Business Manager, CWA I180

cc. Hon. Daneek Miller, Chair, Labor Committee on Civil Service and Labor �118
Hon. Inez Barron, Chair, Committee on Higher Education

Members of the Advisory Board

ADVISORY BOARD
CUNY SCHOOL of LABOR and URBAN STUDIES

March 2, 2020

Honorable Corey Johnson,
Speaker, New York City Council
250 Broadway
New York, New York 10007

C. Hon. Daneek Miller, Chair, Labor Committee on Civil Service and Labor
Hon. Inez Barron, Chair, Committee on Higher Education

Dear Speaker Johnson:

We are writing to you as members of the Advisory Board of the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
(SLU), with two purposes in mind.

First, we want to thank you and the City Council for the support you provided that was so critical to
establishing the School. SLU - the 25th and newest School of the City University of New York- is
dedicated to public service and social justice. It not only provides undergraduate and graduate degree
programs in labor and urban studies, it collaborates with other units of the University to provide a wide
range of educational opportunities and career pathways so that workers and their families will have a
vehicle to achieve social stability and economic mobility. In addition to its academic programs, SLU
sponsors research; organizes forums and conferences; and publishes a national journal.

Last year, the City's adopted budget included $1.2 million to support the new School. These funds have
allowed SLU to hire the additional faculty and staff needed both to sustain current o erations and to double
enrollments over the next five years, as called for in its strategic plan. We have asked the Mayor to base­
line the current funding for the School and ask that you do whatever you can to he! us achieve our goal.

Your support for the new School is very much appreciated.

Sincerely,

//��- Henry Garrido Michael Mulgrew
Executive Director, DC 37, President, UFT
VPrienscideennttA, Nlveaw��YoA.r-k1., � AFSCME
City Central Labor Council, L11.J�
AFL-CIO ldJ/rnu, /;Udh
Dennis G. Trainor
A--CWfJ-vLt-- Anthony Wells Vice President
President Communications Workers of
Gloria Middleton Social Service Employees America (CWA), District 1
President Union (SSEU), Local 371
CWA Local 1180