Dear colleague,
We’re sorry to disturb your weekend, but we thought you would want to know that we are still not making progress at the negotiating table. Our bargaining team sat in an empty room on Friday, and nothing happened aside from some emailed counteroffers that showed little movement on our major priorities.
President Holloway and his spokespeople claim in every statement that they are bargaining in good faith and progress is being made. So what was yesterday about? The answer is obvious: it was a sign of the disrespect management has for us, for our other union colleagues at Rutgers, and for our students and communities.
If they think they can stop us from fighting for a fair contract with threats of court action or retaliation, they will find out very soon just how wrong they are. Our members are mobilized like never before. And we know we have the support of our students, our union siblings across New Jersey, scholars around the country, and more.
We have decisions and plans to make, based on the administration’s resistance to resolving our big issues and bargaining a fair contract for all our members. If you haven’t signed up to attend the all-member town hall meeting this Sunday night (April 9) at 8:30 p.m., click here to register for the Zoom link. Here are some other things to remember this weekend:
- We’re preparing to have strong, lively picket lines in the event of a strike, and that takes organizing ahead of time. Talk to any union member on your campus and ask them how to sign up for picket line shifts.
- Our unions have established a merged strike fund, named the Rutgers Strike & Solidarity Fund, with the goal of supporting members in the event of a strike. We hope those of you who can best afford to give will do so generously to support your colleagues. Click here to donate, and click here for an FAQ about the fund (see part 4!).
In solidarity,
Becky, Amy, and Cathy
Rebecca Givan, President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Amy Higer, President, Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union
Dr. Catherine Monteleone, President, AAUP-BHSNJ
Rutgers AAUP-AFT Facebook page: https://facebook.com/RUaaup/
Follow us on Twitter @ruaaup and Instagram @rutgersaaup
Freedom School YouTubeChannel: https://rutgersaaup.org/YouTube
Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/rutgersptlfc
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @ruaaup_ptl
Visit our redesigned website: https://rutgers-ptlfc.org/
AAUP-BHSNJ website: https://onerutgersfaculty.org/
AAUP-BHSNJ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RUaaupbhsnj