Takeaway: 1) See below for the list of candidates our union is endorsing in November state legislative elections. 2) Sign up to make a voluntary contribution to support our union’s legislative work. 3) Canvas for Senator Andrew Zwicker, the prime sponsor of legislation to fix the fringe rate, on Saturday, October 14. Click here to sign up.
Dear colleague,
The New Jersey legislative elections for Assembly and state Senate take place on November 7, with voter registration closing October 17. If you are eligible to vote in the state but aren’t registered, you can click here to go to the online portal to register. Vote by mail has already begun, and early voting will be from October 28 to November 5.
As employees at the State University of New Jersey, our working conditions are greatly impacted by decisions made in Trenton. We encourage all registered voters to participate in the election and to carefully consider the stances of the candidates as you cast your votes.
This year, the Rutgers AAUP-AFT Executive Council has voted to endorse the following candidates running for election to the state legislature, based on issues important to our members and communities. All of these candidates have been supportive of labor issues—in particular, of legislation to lower the fringe rate on Rutgers grant-supported union members (which is still awaiting one final vote in the Assembly). We note also that many of these candidates have sponsored legislation on safe staffing that the striking RWJ nurses’ union identifies as a key issue for their working conditions. We encourage you to take all this into consideration when you consider who you will vote for.
District 6, Camden County
Senator James Beach (Higher Education Committee member)
District 7, Burlington County
Assemblywoman Carol Murphy
District 14, Mercer County
Senator Linda Greenstein (Assistant Majority Leader, Budget Committee member)
District 15, Mercer County
Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson
Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli
District 16, Middlesex, Somerset, Mercer, and Hunterdon Counties
Senator Andrew Zwicker (Higher Education Committee member)
Assemblyman Roy Freiman
District 18, Middlesex County
Senator Patrick Diegnan (Budget Committee member)
District 19, Middlesex County
Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez
District 29, Essex County
Senator Theresa Ruiz (Senate Majority Leader)
District 31, Hudson County
Running for Senate: Assemblywoman Angela McKnight
District 33, Hudson County
Running for Senate: Assemblyman Raj Mukherji
District 35, Passaic County
Senator Nellie Pou (Majority Caucus Chair)
District 37, Bergen County
Senator Gordon Johnson (Assistant Majority Leader)
On Saturday, October 14, our union will be joining the rest of the labor movement to canvas for Senator Andrew Zwicker, the primary sponsor of our fringe rate legislation and a scientist himself at Princeton University. Click here to sign up to join us at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 14. Senator Zwicker’s race is one of the most competitive in this election, so our support is important; this race will be our union’s focus until election day on November 7. Please sign up to canvas with us on October 14.
The Rutgers AAUP-AFT Legislative Committee’s mission is to advance the goals of members through advocacy and engagement with local, state, and federal governments. This entails supporting both legislation and candidates. The legislative agenda of the Rutgers AAUP-AFT in 2023–24 has four components:
- A fully and fairly funded university that is more accountable to the faculty, staff, students, and others it serves. This requires support of our counselors, faculty, postdocs, and graduate workers in their scholarship, teaching, and research, as well as supporting our undergraduate students and the communities in which we live and work.
- Supporting and strengthening all union and employee rights under state and federal laws.
- Defending our members’ and our students’ rights to free expression, inquiry, and bodily autonomy.
- Providing our members and surrounding communities with good quality, affordable health care.
To join us on the legislative committee of our union, reply to this email or email aaup@rutgersaaup.org. To sign up for voluntary contributions, deducted from your paycheck, to support this important work, click here and fill out the form.
In solidarity,
Matthew Buckley, Legislative Committee Chair, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Legislative Committee, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
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