TL;DR
The Unified Bargaining Committee met with management in New Brunswick on Thursday, October 29 at Liberty Plaza. Management presented a counter on the EOF counselors article that failed to address the concerns that the union was seeking to fix in our initial proposal. They also sent back counters on NTT Promotion and Reappointment (Article 11), Reappointment and Promotion of Tenure Track Faculty (Article 14A), and Conditions of Employment (Article 22A). The union presented a counter on Fringe Benefits (Article 28B).
Highlights from the Session
Management Presents Counter on EOF Counselors Article
Management put forward a counter on the EOF article that sought to maintain status quo throughout most of the article, stating that they think EOF articles should be kept separate from other bargaining units and that current policies around leave, holidays, and vacation should be maintained. Additionally, they rejected the proposal for a professional development fund for EOF counselors.
Miguel Rodriguez, EOF counselor and secretary/treasurer for Rutgers AAUP-AFT, responded to management’s counter by pointing out that management’s team had a noticeable absence during the session– specifically, Vivian Fernandez, senior vice-president of Human Resources, who is most equipped to know the details of policies concerning EOF counselors’ work. He stated that it was hard to have a productive dialogue on these critical issues without the right people in the room.
The initial proposal that we put across the table was intended to address the need for fair pay and other contradictions in current policy, yet management’s counter does not respond to any of those issues in a meaningful way.
The union wants to give counselors a sense that there is opportunity for growth in their Rutgers career. A lot of what is being addressed at the table concerns issues that emerged in light of results from the last time that the counselors were at the table. For example, professional development opportunities are hard for EOF counselors to take advantage of because they are “on call” in ways that make it difficult to do so. The challenge is to get counselors supported beyond the budgetary planning situation. By proposing a separate professional development fund, the union seeks to avoid a conversation on resources every time counselors want to pursue an opportunity.
The unified bargaining committee will meet and discuss a counter to management.
Union Counter on Article 28B; Other Management Counterproposals
The union presented a counter on Fringe Benefits (Article 28B) that sought to address issues with sick days, vacation days/holidays, and tuition remission for dependents. A few provisions with changes were discussed, with the aim of reaching agreement. Many of the revisions aim at ensuring that clinical faculty can actually take their existing holidays and vacation days, as many have encountered obstacles in doing so presently.
Other management counterproposals were discussed, though no agreement was reached on any of them.
Next Steps
The next bargaining session is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 5, at 10 a.m., at Administrative Services Building II (on Rte 1 S.) in New Brunswick.