Rutgers University faculty, staff demand answer from administration union contract proposals
NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Hundreds of Rutgers University faculty were joined by students at a demonstration Tuesday to demand fair union contracts for the professors and other staff members.
Professors and supporting staff have been working at the university without contracts since June after more than 20 bargaining sessions, according to the unions.
The university has failed to respond to union proposals made months ago and is now feeling the pressure from those unions and student supporters who are demanding answers.
"Over the years what's happened is that we have been replacing tenured track positions and we have these precarious positions where we have no job security, we're paid a fraction of what full-time faculty are paid," Adjunct Professor Howie Sweerdloff said.
Some of the proposals include updates to contracts that determine salaries, benefits, and working conditions for faculty and staff for the next four years.
Representatives from the American Association of University Professors and Adjunct Faculty Union were joined by students and other staff members at the College Avenue campus.
"We haven't had a raise this year while inflation is high and people are facing growing costs," union president Rebecca Givan said.
Support for the Rutgers faculty didn't just come from the local unions and community. National Teacher Union President Randi Weingarten also spoke at the rally demanding the university's administration to provide answers to the proposed contracts.
"From graduate workers to lecturers to tenured faculty, they kept this university running for our kids during COVID and they're just asking for some respect," Weingarten said.
The university released the following statement:
"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."
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