Rutgers President Warns He May Take Legal Action To Break The Strike

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — It's now Day 2 of the Rutgers faculty strike and university President Jonathan Holloway warned his next step is to seek a legal injunction to break the strike and force teachers back into classrooms.

Holloway has repeatedly called the strike "unlawful," under the argument that public employees in New Jersey cannot go on strike.

"If there is no movement towards an agreement, we will have no choice but to take legal action," said the president of New Jersey's state university. "This is especially important for the thousands of students who are finishing their academic careers at Rutgers and are only a few weeks away from earning their degrees."

Holloway said Gov. Phil Murphy personally asked him to delay going to the courts, and — as of noon Tuesday — he will honor that request.

"The governor asked me personally to delay taking legal action asking the courts to order strikers back to work. I agreed to the governor’s important request while it appears that progress can be made," said Holloway.

Rutgers AAUP-AFT President Rebecca Givan warned fellow union members to brace for legal action:

"I want to tell you what we might see legally in the coming days," Givan told union members Monday night. "President Holloway has said that he expects to seek an injunction to make the case that our strike is not lawful. If that happens, we will be in touch. If Holloway decides that he's opting to be a strike breaker ... If he's not going to respect a fundamental right of free speech and free assembly, the court may issue an injunction."

Givan also said Holloway's understanding of the law is not correct, and that because they are education employees, Rutgers professors can legally walk off the job. The Rutgers professors have received strong support from the New Jersey state teachers' union.

"There is no statute outlawing public sector workers from going on strike (with a few exceptions, like first responders)," said Alan Maass, a spokesman for the faculty union.

Givan warned that the 9,000 professors who are striking will receive an email from the university "That might be intimidating. It might contain words designed to scare you and make you thing about legal consequences ... Our solidarity is in staying strong together. We have planned for this moment."

Both Holloway and the union have described the contract negotiations as "intense."

"Sadly, just when Governor Murphy had called on our unions and the Rutgers administration to come to Trenton to negotiate, President Holloway has again resorted to union-busting tactics and threats," Givan said Tuesday morning.

Some Rutgers student supporters have joined their professors on the picket lines. Meanwhile, Holloway blasted the union for disrupting a class of students who he said were taking a final exam on Monday. (Not all professors are in the union and some are continuing to teach.) Read that story: Rutgers Strike Disrupts 'Critical Exam,' University President Says

"There is no excuse for interfering with classes being taught by faculty who are choosing to continue with their jobs and meet their obligations to our students," fumed the university president.

Maass said any classroom disruptions are not approved by the union.

Negotiations resumed at 10 a.m. Tuesday inside Gov. Murphy's personal office; talks will continue all day and into Tuesday evening.

'Pissed Off' Murphy Wants Rutgers Faculty Strike To End 'ASAP'