Unions & Raises

This is a section of Cooper Union's Financial FAQ. Click here to read the rest of the document.

Are employees at The Cooper Union represented by unions?

Three unions represent 85 percent of the employees at Cooper.  There is a faculty union, a union for part-time faculty and proportional faculty, and a staff union.

Are Cooper Union employees receiving raises this year?

Administrators are not receiving raises. Faculty and staff will receive raises in accordance with their union contracts.

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.