September 2024 GC Chapter Meeting MinutesElection We held an election for chapter chair. Sofya Aptekar and Evan Rothman ran unopposed as co-chairs and were elected unanimously. Resolutions Two resolutions were brought to the meeting with urgency. Those assembled voted to review and vote on the resolutions within the September meeting. Both the PSC and NYCERS Israeli Investments Divestment Resolution and the Removal of Starbucks Products from the Graduate Center Resolution were passed by those assembled. Upcoming We have another scheduled chapter meeting in November, and will be looking to fill delegate vacancies before that meeting. Please be in touch with the chapter’s principal officers if you are interested in representing the Graduate Center Chapter in the […] “September 2024 GC Chapter Meeting Minutes”

PSC and NYCERS Israeli Investments Divestment ResolutionThe following resolution was passed at our September 24, 2024 GC PSC chapter meeting. PSC and NYCERS Israeli Investments Divestment Resolution Whereas, for eleven months the Israeli government has engaged in bombing and other warfare in the Gaza Strip killing at least 40,000 people including, by Israel’s own account, 23,000 civilians. Whereas, these attacks have included those on schools and UN shelters, in violation of commonly accepted “rules of war.” Whereas, the international community has strongly condemned Israeli actions, including the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes, the International Court of Justice’s opinion that Israel’s occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful, and its preliminary finding that there is a plausible claim that genocide is occurring in Gaza. Whereas, in the past, such as during the period of apartheid rule in South Africa, American institutions such as colleges and labor unions have used the tool of divestment to show their disapproval of state policies that violate international human rights laws, and also to weaken those states economically. Whereas the investment holdings of the Professional Staff Congress include bond funds such as the Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund and the Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund, which have holdings of Israeli government bonds. Whereas, the Teachers’ Retirement System of the City of New York (TRSNYC) and the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS) have direct investments of $100 million and $115 million, respectively, in Israeli companies and government bonds. Whereas, at a special meeting of AFSCME DC37 Local 3005, which represents public health workers, 92% of attendees voted for a resolution, which calls for the local to post a statement on its website supporting NYCERS divestment, and for the local’s president to send a letter to the NYCERS board expressing the local’s support of this move. Therefore, be it resolved that the Professional Staff Congress should follow in the footsteps of AFSCME Local 3005 by sending an official letter to the TRS board expressing its support for complete disinvestment from Israel, and also post that letter prominently on its website. And, be it further resolved that the Professional Staff Congress shall divest its own funds from any investment vehicle that includes in its portfolio stocks and bonds of Israeli companies and Israeli government bonds no later than the end of January 2025, and shall continue in good faith to try to meet that investment objective. And, be it further resolved that the Professional Staff Congress shall establish a volunteer committee to investigate whether further divestment is appropriate and feasible, which shall report back to the PSC Delegate Assembly n […] “PSC and NYCERS Israeli Investments Divestment Resolution”

The Graduate Center Chapter of the Professional Staff Congress (GC PSC) Demands the Removal of Starbucks Products from the Graduate CenterThe following resolution was passed at our September 25, 2024 GC PSC chapter meeting. The Graduate Center Chapter of the Professional Staff Congress (GC PSC) Demands the Removal of Starbucks Products from the Graduate Center WHEREAS students, faculty, and staff at the Graduate Center, including the DGSC and PSC, organized for food access on campus by reclaiming the dining commons, WHEREAS the Graduate Center signed a contract with Alladin Campus Dining that includes non-unionized labor, unaffordable food, and the sale of Starbucks products at 365 Cafe and Bar located in the lobby of the Graduate Center, WHEREAS Starbucks became the target of an organic boycott campaign by the Palestinian liberation and labor movements following the company’s union-busting lawsuit against Starbucks Workers United over the union’s social media post in solidarity with Palestine, BE IT RESOLVED that the GC PSC demands the removal of Starbucks products from the Graduate Center, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the GC PSC calls on the Graduate Center community to honor the boycott of Starbucks products, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the GC PSC demands free and affordable dining options on campus at all times the building is open, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the GC PSC stands in solidarity with the food service workers in the building and their right to good working conditions, just compensation, and a fair contract, BE IT FURTHER RES […] “The Graduate Center Chapter of the Professional Staff Congress (GC PSC) Demands the Removal of Starbucks Products from the Graduate Center”