Dear colleague,
Tonight (Monday, April 3) at 6:30 p.m., we’ll be holding an “Ask Me Anything” session for our students that we’re calling “Union Office Hours.” Click here to register for the link. We know we have strong student support for our fight for a fair contract and a better Rutgers, but we also know they have questions, including about what will happen if we have to strike. Share the Zoom registration link with your students; click here for a graphic to post on Canvas or in emails.
Judging from bargaining last week, we need to step up the fight. On Friday evening, the administration finally responded to a proposal we made over ten months ago for real job security for non-tenure-track faculty. In essence, they simply said “no”—including proposals that wouldn’t cost the administration a penny! We have to be prepared to go on strike to win a fair contract—that may be the only language the administration understands.
We have a lot more planned for this week on all three campuses—keep an eye on your union emails for details. Here are two reminders for all of us:
- Top scholars across the country have signed an open letter calling on President Holloway to forgo an anti-strike injunction and negotiate a fair contract. Today, NPR ran a five-minute segment on the open letter. Please listen to this story and read the print version from WNYC. Currently, we have nearly 900 signatures. Please read the open letter here and sign here.
- Come to a training session on building strong, lively, and safe picket lines. Click here to sign up for a one-hour session being held via Zoom at numerous times over the coming week. This is your opportunity to learn what a strike will look like and volunteer for various roles.
In solidarity,
Becky and Amy
Rebecca Givan, President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Amy Higer, President, Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union
Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/rutgersptlfc
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @ruaaup_ptl
Visit our redesigned website: https://rutgers-ptlfc.org/
We’ve heard that union emails don’t reach some of you or go into a spam folder (especially if you use a Rutgers email address). If you’d like to change the email address where you receive union communications, fill out this form.