At What Cost was a graduate student group formed at Cornell University in August 2002 to oppose a graduate student unionization drive run by an organization called CASE/UAW that was affiliated with the United Auto Workers. The name At What Cost? has also been used by other similar but unrelated groups. The unionization vote was held on October 23 and 24, 2002, and the union was rejected. At What Cost? was considered instrumental in the unusually large 90% turnout for the vote and in the surprising 2-to-1 defeat of the unionization proposal. There had been no prior instance in American graduate student unionization history where a unionization proposal was defeated by a vote.
Contents
At What Cost is widely known about within the area of graduate student unionization, and it appeared in the October 26, 2002 issue of the New York Times, in the January 17, 2003 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education, and on the front page of the October 19, 2002 issue of the Ithaca Journal, as well as in multiple other issues of the Ithaca Journal and the Cornell Daily Sun.
Formation and structure of the group
At What Cost was founded by three engineering graduate students, one from each of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and Chemical Engineering, who had interacted through Cornell's Engineering Graduate Student Association. Shortly after an initial webpage for the group was created, three more graduate students, from Economics, Medieval Studies, and Chemistry, joined the leadership of the group. There were 156 total members of the group [1], with approximately two dozen taking some active role.
Decision-making within the group generally rested with the six leaders. Although informal and occurring almost entirely through email conversations between the six, decision-making was loosely consensus-based, and for many specific matters, one or more leaders or group members would volunteer to be responsible for the decision-making and implementation of that matter. Typically, the group held weekly meetings as well, that were attended by several group members beyond the leadership, to provide updates on the group's activities, ask for volunteers, make some decisions, and distribute materials.
Activities and funding
The most direct interaction At What Cost? had with CASE/UAW was at discussions hosted by individual departments. The format varied, but often one group would present its arguments, then the other group would follow, then back to the first group for a rebuttal, then a rebuttal from the second group, and finally the audience could address questions to either group. Typically there would be two representatives from each group. At What Cost?'s other activities included postering, updating and maintaining the At What Cost? webpage, distributing buttons, responding to questions, setting up a display on the Arts Quad, and contacting voters by email. The group attempted to organize a campus-wide debate with CASE/UAW, but CASE/UAW ultimately declined.
At What Cost? received $468.87 in cash donations, through a Paypal link on its webpage. Another $263.02 was donated to the group in the way of in-kind gifts. These donations were used for posters, buttons, the Arts Quad display, and the website. [2]
Revival
After the NLRB reversed the 2004 Brown decision, the At What Cost? movement was revived by four graduate students in the Chemistry, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Chemical Biology departments to raise transparency concerns about the new unionization effort by Cornell GSU, the graduate worker union affiliated with AFT/NYSUT. Spearheaded by a group of graduate students, this revived At What Cost? group offer a counter-perspective to Cornell GSU's pro-union message. The group has raised issues with union dues that will be paid by the members if Cornell GSU becomes their bargaining representative. It has also raised concerns about union meetings restricted only to Cornell GSU members.