Takeaways: 1) Click here to take the 2023 Strike Pledge if you haven’t already. 2) Our union’s Executive Council unanimously approved a strike authorization vote to begin next week; read more below. 3) Plan to attend the “Day of People’s Protest and Education” on our campus next Tuesday; click here to tell us you’re coming. 4) Come to a Freedom School featuring participants in the strike wave in higher ed on Wednesday, March 1, at 7 p.m. Click here to RSVP.
Dear colleague,
We have a one-two-three-four message for you today.
1. You have only a couple more days to take the 2023 Strike Pledge! Nearly 2,500 of you have already told us what you’re willing to do to win a fair contract. If you’re not one of them, take the pledge now and let the administration know you’re ready to take action to win our demands. Then talk to your colleagues about why they should go to RutgersAAUP.org/StrikePledge and take the pledge!
2. Our strike pledge does not officially authorize a strike. Yesterday, the Executive Council decided unanimously to take that next step: starting next Tuesday, members of our union will be able to vote on whether to authorize a strike. This won’t be a vote to go on strike the next day. If you vote yes on strike authorization, the Executive Council, with elected representation from across our union, would be able to decide if a strike should be called in March or April because the administration has failed to bargain a fair contract.
We know there will be many questions and concerns about the authorization vote and what a strike would mean. Members and union staff collaborated on the 2023 Strike FAQ, with answers to many of your questions. Please read it—and let us know if your questions aren’t answered; you can email us at aaup@rutgersaaup.org.
3. Make your plans for the “Day of People’s Protest and Education” on our campus the same day we launch our strike authorization vote: Tuesday, February 28. The centerpiece of the day is a 12 p.m. rally sponsored by a range of Rutgers unions and state labor federations. Our union and the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union are planning for panel discussions before and after the rally. Click to tell us you’re coming and find out more about the teach-ins.
4. We’re holding a Freedom School on Wednesday, March 1, at 7 p.m. about the wave of strikes in higher ed, featuring faculty and grads from around the country who can tell us about their picket-line experiences. Stay tuned for more on speakers, but you can save the date now and RSVP to get the Zoom link.
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.