Scope and Content Note

The collection documents the Professional Staff Congress' participation in collective bargaining and grievance proceedings on behalf of its members, as well as its lobbying efforts and other political activities in support of public higher education, various labor organizations, and other causes. The collection traces the union's activities from the 1920s to 2018, but is particularly rich in materials from the late 1960s to the 1990s. Publicity materials, correspondence, minutes, office files of individual officers and staff members, files pertaining to benefits-related programs and committees, photographs and audiovisual materials, and the records of the PSC publication Clarion (including many photographic materials) are also present. To a lesser extent, the collection contains the records of PSC's two predecessor organizations, the United Federation of College Teachers and the Legislative Conference.

Materials added to the collection in 2016 include the files of the Professional Staff Congress' International Committee. These materials largely consist of meeting minutes and files on special events from 2001-2016. Other materials added to the collection in 2016 include 10 reels of microfilm containing administrative files of the Council of Senior Citizens, Pension Committee, and Belle Zeller Scholarship Trust Fund dating from 1982 to 1993.

Materials added to the collection in 2018 include the files of the Professional Staff Congress' Women's Committee. These materials include planning materials and audiovisual tapes of the annual Women's History Month conference, files relating to parental leave, and drafts and files regarding CUNY's sexual harassment policy. It also includes the committee's meeting correspondence, minutes, and surveys.