Is Union Power Growing in Mamdani’s New York?
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StudentNation
/ February 11, 2026
Is Union Power Growing in Mamdani’s New York?
Following the Mamdani administration’s talks with the CUNY faculty union, three professors have returned to class after losing their jobs for their pro-Palestine activism.
Mohamad Rimawi
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A protester at a rally for the “Fired Four” at the City University of New York.
(Professional Staff Congress-Professional Staff Congress-CUNY)
This story was produced for StudentNation, a program of the Nation Fund for Independent Journalism, which is dedicated to highlighting the best of student journalism. For more StudentNation, check out our archive or learn more about the program here. StudentNation is made possible through generous funding from The Puffin Foundation. If you’re a student and you have an article idea, please send pitches and questions to [email protected].
In the midst of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, protests erupted across American universities, galvanizing students and faculty alike. The City University of New York was no exception. Last May, the administration called in the New York City Police Department to crack down on a student-led encampment and protest at Brooklyn College, and the following month, four adjunct professors lost their jobs for participating in the demonstration. The group earned the moniker of the CUNY “Fired Four.” Now, after a devoted campaign of grassroots union organizing, three of the professors are finally being reinstated.
The decision comes after Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration held talks with the Professional Staff Congress, the union that represents over 30,000 CUNY faculty members, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak on it publicly.
James David, president of the PSC, lauded the news as a “major victory” but cautioned that it is “not complete” in a press release on January 26. “It is important both in terms of restoring these harmed colleagues to their jobs and repudiating the administration’s callous disregard for the academic judgment of faculty, for First Amendment protected speech, and for academic freedom.”
It is unclear if Mamdani’s intervention is what ultimately moved CUNY. But the professors’ reinstatement, long-advocated for by the PSC, points to the resurgence of union power in the city. “It’s a reminder of how crucial it is, especially right now in this time with resurgent McCarthyism and fascist repression, to be part of a union,” said Corinna Mullin, the only one of the Fired Four who has come forward publicly. “And not just any union, a fighting union and a …
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Current Issue
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StudentNation
/ February 11, 2026
Is Union Power Growing in Mamdani’s New York?
Following the Mamdani administration’s talks with the CUNY faculty union, three professors have returned to class after losing their jobs for their pro-Palestine activism.
Mohamad Rimawi
Share
Copy Link
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Ad Policy
A protester at a rally for the “Fired Four” at the City University of New York.
(Professional Staff Congress-Professional Staff Congress-CUNY)
This story was produced for StudentNation, a program of the Nation Fund for Independent Journalism, which is dedicated to highlighting the best of student journalism. For more StudentNation, check out our archive or learn more about the program here. StudentNation is made possible through generous funding from The Puffin Foundation. If you’re a student and you have an article idea, please send pitches and questions to [email protected].
In the midst of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, protests erupted across American universities, galvanizing students and faculty alike. The City University of New York was no exception. Last May, the administration called in the New York City Police Department to crack down on a student-led encampment and protest at Brooklyn College, and the following month, four adjunct professors lost their jobs for participating in the demonstration. The group earned the moniker of the CUNY “Fired Four.” Now, after a devoted campaign of grassroots union organizing, three of the professors are finally being reinstated.
The decision comes after Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration held talks with the Professional Staff Congress, the union that represents over 30,000 CUNY faculty members, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak on it publicly.
James David, president of the PSC, lauded the news as a “major victory” but cautioned that it is “not complete” in a press release on January 26. “It is important both in terms of restoring these harmed colleagues to their jobs and repudiating the administration’s callous disregard for the academic judgment of faculty, for First Amendment protected speech, and for academic freedom.”
It is unclear if Mamdani’s intervention is what ultimately moved CUNY. But the professors’ reinstatement, long-advocated for by the PSC, points to the resurgence of union power in the city. “It’s a reminder of how crucial it is, especially right now in this time with resurgent McCarthyism and fascist repression, to be part of a union,” said Corinna Mullin, the only one of the Fired Four who has come forward publicly. “And not just any union, a fighting union and a …
Is Union Power Growing in Mamdani’s New York?
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Current Issue
Society
/
StudentNation
/ February 11, 2026
Is Union Power Growing in Mamdani’s New York?
Following the Mamdani administration’s talks with the CUNY faculty union, three professors have returned to class after losing their jobs for their pro-Palestine activism.
Mohamad Rimawi
Share
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Email
Ad Policy
A protester at a rally for the “Fired Four” at the City University of New York.
(Professional Staff Congress-Professional Staff Congress-CUNY)
This story was produced for StudentNation, a program of the Nation Fund for Independent Journalism, which is dedicated to highlighting the best of student journalism. For more StudentNation, check out our archive or learn more about the program here. StudentNation is made possible through generous funding from The Puffin Foundation. If you’re a student and you have an article idea, please send pitches and questions to [email protected].
In the midst of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, protests erupted across American universities, galvanizing students and faculty alike. The City University of New York was no exception. Last May, the administration called in the New York City Police Department to crack down on a student-led encampment and protest at Brooklyn College, and the following month, four adjunct professors lost their jobs for participating in the demonstration. The group earned the moniker of the CUNY “Fired Four.” Now, after a devoted campaign of grassroots union organizing, three of the professors are finally being reinstated.
The decision comes after Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration held talks with the Professional Staff Congress, the union that represents over 30,000 CUNY faculty members, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak on it publicly.
James David, president of the PSC, lauded the news as a “major victory” but cautioned that it is “not complete” in a press release on January 26. “It is important both in terms of restoring these harmed colleagues to their jobs and repudiating the administration’s callous disregard for the academic judgment of faculty, for First Amendment protected speech, and for academic freedom.”
It is unclear if Mamdani’s intervention is what ultimately moved CUNY. But the professors’ reinstatement, long-advocated for by the PSC, points to the resurgence of union power in the city. “It’s a reminder of how crucial it is, especially right now in this time with resurgent McCarthyism and fascist repression, to be part of a union,” said Corinna Mullin, the only one of the Fired Four who has come forward publicly. “And not just any union, a fighting union and a …
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