Dear colleague,
We’re asking you to sign a petition in support of our postdoc colleagues who are still fighting for a living-wage contract nearly two years after the last one expired.
Last Friday, some of you attended the University Senate meeting, where we filled the Zoom screen with graphics demanding “Postdoc Contract Now!” and “Resolve Pay Equity Now!” We want to keep up the pressure on management with this petition calling on them to stop delaying and negotiate the contract that postdocs deserve.
The result of the delay in bargaining is that many postdocs have worked without a raise since July 1, 2018. In fact, a number have come and gone from Rutgers without a single increase in their salaries. Rutgers postdocs were behind even before this delay—they are underpaid by more than 10 percent compared to their Big Ten peers.
This is an appalling way to treat valued members of the Rutgers community who work on cutting-edge research—including one of the first COVID tests—and other initiatives that enhance the university’s reputation. Our union needs to raise its collective voice to demand that the postdoc contract be settled now.
Please sign this petition before turning your attention to final exams and summer research and teaching. Remember that we are all part of the same union, just with different contracts. The new contract that we are bargaining would run from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2022, and would then sync up with our own contract moving forward.
In solidarity,
Todd and Becky
Todd Wolfson, President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Rebecca Givan, Vice President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
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