PSC Urges Stop to Citibank’s CUNY Card
By the PSC, the Clarion
The Professional Staff Congress, the faculty union of CUNY, is stepping up its opposition to the implementation of the Citibank CUNY Card as the ID card at City University campuses.
In a letter dated 18 August, President Irwin H. Polishook called on PSC chapter chairpersons to mobilize against the card by meeting with their college presidents through campus newsletters and at faculty and student meetings. CUNY management signed on with Citibank without any real input from students or faculty.
The ID card, which can be used as a debit card and phone card, bears the logos of Citibank and MCI. According to the PSC, it’s wrong for a public university whose instructional staff is affiliated with the trade union movement and many of whose students are organized workers as well as members of a minority to utilize Citibank because Citibank has been known for its anti-union policies, red-lining of inner-city neighborhoods and opposition to public sector grants and low-interest student loans.
The PSC Delegate Assembly passed a resolution in December 1996 calling
for an immediate halt to implementation of the CUNY Card. To date,
only six campuses have adopted the card.
