Rutgers Staff Say They’re ‘Fed Up’ With Contract Talks At Newark Rally

NEWARK, NJ — A forecast of snowy weather didn’t stop faculty and staff who work at Rutgers University from gathering for a rally at the Newark campus on Tuesday.

According to a statement from Rutgers AAUP-AFT, more than 15,000 people are still without new contracts after eight months of negotiations with university administrators – and they’re growing frustrated.

On Monday, the two largest faculty unions at Rutgers University began a vote process that will decide whether or not to authorize a strike if they fail to hammer out a deal. The voting is a process that will last until March 10; the Rutgers faculty union will announce at midday if they will go on strike. Read More: Rutgers Professors' Union Considers Going On Strike

Those two unions represent some 8,000 full-time and adjunct faculty, graduate workers, PhD students (who often teach classes) and others at all three Rutgers campuses: New Brunswick main campus, plus Newark and Camden.

“Our members are fed up and ready to do something about it,” said Rebecca Givan, president of Rutgers AAUP-AFT.

“After eight months without a contract, it’s time for some answers about what’s taking so long,” Givan added.

Rutgers AAUP-AFT shared a list of their requests, which can be seen here.

Other unions and federations sponsoring the rally included the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union, AAUP-Biomedical and Health Sciences New Jersey, the Union of Rutgers Administrators-AFT, Health Professionals and Allied Employees, Communications Workers of America Local 1031, NJEA-Rutgers, the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare, American Federation of Teachers-New Jersey, and the New Jersey AFL-CIO.

This week’s rally in Newark comes on the heels of a similar demand for action in December. Read More: Rutgers Teachers, Staff Rally For Contracts In Newark, Other Campuses

A Rutgers University spokesperson gave Patch a statement about the ongoing negotiations in the wake of the December rally:

“We continue to negotiate in good faith and on a regular basis with Rutgers' unions. All mandatorily negotiable issues related to those employee contracts will be discussed at the negotiating table with the appropriate bargaining team representatives from the administration and the unions.”

This article contains reporting by Carly Baldwin, Patch staff

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