NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Members of the faculty union at Rutgers University will vote on whether to authorize a strike starting Tuesday after going eight months with no contract.
Rutgers American Association of University Professors - American Federation of Teachers and the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union have been negotiating with school administrators since May. Contracts for both unions expired in June.
“We are committed to working as hard as we possibly can to negotiate contracts with our unions that are fair, reasonable, and responsible,” said Rutgers leadership in a statement. “We have already held more than 100 bargaining sessions with our faculty and staff unions and will continue to meet in good faith with them until we reach comprehensive agreements on mandatorily negotiable issues, including compensation. We are hopeful that agreements with all of our unions can be reached as quickly as possible.”
The vote will not automatically start a strike if it passes. Instead, union leadership would have the option of calling a strike in March or April, giving management time to avoid labor action by reaching a contract.
An overwhelming majority of union members will need to agree for the vote to pass.
The unions are pushing for pay increases, better job security and health benefits for part time workers and graduate assistants.
If the roughly 8,000 faculty members at Rutgers do go on strike, the university, which serves about 70,000 students, would practically shut down.
It would be the first teachers strike ever at the school. A similar vote passed in 2019, but a strike was averted after a deal was reached.
Voting will start online Tuesday morning and last for a week-and-a-half. The start of voting coincides with a Rutgers’ Board of Governors meeting in Newark.
Faculty will also hold solidarity rallies at the school’s campuses at New Brunswick, Camden and Newark Tuesday.
Related
Related
Related
