Takeaway: Rutgers’ salary letter is an insult. Join our upcoming Bargaining Update Town Hall next Thursday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. to learn more and get involved. Register here.
Dear colleague,
Yesterday, after bargaining for half a year, Rutgers’ negotiating team sent a letter to union leaders, after already sending it to the press. This letter was not a real counterproposal but it sent a clear message: they do not take our demands seriously. They would rather engage in public theatrics than good-faith bargaining. We have been working for over 100 days without contracts, yet the best suggestion that management can come up with is an increase that does not keep up with inflation for any of our members and proposes that thousands of our faculty should not receive a pay increase at all.
This is what management wrote:
“Under the University’s proposed salary program, eligible employees would receive annual salary increases ranging from 3% for employees earning up to and including $50,000; 2.5% for employees earning over $50,000 up to and including $75,000; 2% for employees earning over $75,000 up to and including $100,000; and 1.0% for employees earning over $100,000 up to and including $200,000. Increases would be retroactive to July 1, 2026.”
This letter is not a real proposal and does not address the proposal we put across the table nearly 5 months ago. There is no mention of what raises would be in the future years of the contract. Clinicians who provide essential healthcare would not receive a pay increase at all. This will only exacerbate the severe retention problems that have resulted in 3-month waits for patients to receive care. Even the greatest salary increase in this letter does not account for inflation, which is 3.7%. Management argues that they are constrained by state and university budgeting, and describe these minimal to non-existent pay increases as a fair offer. This is manufactured austerity. Budget decisions reflect priorities, and it is clear that Rutgers’ priorities do not align with the well-being of their employees, our students, or our patients.
Strong contracts won’t be won at the bargaining table but through organizing. Join our upcoming members-only Bargaining Update Town Hall on Thursday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. to learn more and get involved. Register here.
In solidarity,
Becky, Cathy, and Bryan
Becky Givan, President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Dr. Catherine Monteleone, President, AAUP-BHSNJ
Bryan Sacks, Bargaining Co-Chair, Treasurer, Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union