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Rutgers AAUP-AFT: 50th Anniversary

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Higher Ed Labor Is Organizing—and Winning. We Can Too.

February 1, 2023

Click here to take the pledge!

Dear colleague,

We are not alone in fighting for a fair contract. Across the country, higher ed labor is organizing, striking—and winning.

  • After a four-day strike last month, full-time faculty at the University of Illinois-Chicago won a 20 percent raise over four years and a badly needed $4.5 million program to address their students’ mental health needs.
  • The new contract for adjunct faculty at The New School will raise pay rates by 36 percent over five years.
  • In the largest higher ed strike in U.S. history, graduate workers, postdocs, and other academic workers in the University of California system won major pay increases that will lift them closer toward a living wage.

These important victories show that when we fight, we can win. And none of them would have happened without union members refusing to accept delays and rejecting inadequate offers. We don’t want to go on strike, but the administration is pushing us toward one. Rather than come to an agreement, they have flat-out rejected many of our proposals and not even addressed others. Their counter-offer to our proposal for fair salary increases was an insult.

We need to show the administration that we will take action, including a strike if necessary, to win our demands for a better Rutgers. As of yesterday, more than 1,000 of you have told us you would vote to authorize a strike if necessary to win a fair contract.

Now we need to hear from more of you. If you haven’t already, please take the “2023 Strike Pledge.” Tell us what you’ll do to win the contract we deserve—and then share the link to the virtual pledge form with your colleagues: RutgersAAUP.org/StrikePledge


Reminders

  • Sign up for Strike School! Click here to register for two virtual 90-minute training sessions on organizing to win being held multiple times through February 24.

In New Brunswick

  • We’re having a union happy hour at Pino’s at 6 p.m. TONIGHT (13 4th Ave. in Highland Park). Join us for a drink and informal discussion.
  • Join us at New Brunswick’s first chapter meeting of the semester next Monday, February 6, at 1 p.m. via Zoom; click here to RSVP.

In Newark

  • Come out to a joint Graduate Student Government Association and union mixer TOMORROW (Thursday, February 2) at 5 p.m., at McGovern’s Tavern (58-60 New St.). Click here to RSVP.
  • Save the Date: Tuesday, February 28! A Day of People’s Protest and Education at Rutgers-Newark when the Board of Governors meet.

In Camden

  • Our union chapter in Camden is holding our first meeting of the semester via Zoom on Thursday, February 9, at 12:45 p.m. Click here to RSVP.

In solidarity,
Becky and Todd

Rebecca Givan, President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Todd Wolfson, General Vice President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT

Rutgers AAUP-AFT Facebook page: https://facebook.com/RUaaup/
Follow us on Twitter @ruaaup and Instagram @rutgersaaup
Freedom School YouTubeChannel: https://rutgersaaup.org/YouTube

Find out the status of our demands in bargaining at a glance.
Read about the proposals we’re putting forward.
See the updates from each bargaining session.
Find all the latest messages to members and union statements here.

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