Dear colleague,
We made a powerful statement yesterday that the people who make Rutgers work want fair contracts now! We launched our vote on strike authorization yesterday morning, and within 24 hours, over a third of our members had cast a ballot. Now we need to hear from every other member. If you haven’t voted yet, please look in your inbox (AND your spam folder) for a ballot from Election Runner—and take a minute to vote YES now!
Our colleagues in Newark organized an amazing and inspiring day of protest and education. The administration used the excuse of a “wintry mix” to cancel the in-person Board of Governors meeting in Newark, but hundreds of people came out to take back Rutgers. We’re betting the administration was less worried about the snow and more worried about the fiery speeches from Amazon Labor Union President Chris Smalls, Association of Flight Attendants President Sara Nelson, other labor leaders, and more than a dozen members of Rutgers unions.
There was great coverage of the Newark rally and our strike authorization vote in the media—click here to see the TV segments and articles. If you couldn’t be there or couldn’t watch in real time, you can see the livestream of the rally and both amazing panel discussions on the Rutgers AAUP-AFT Facebook page.
We had a great first day of our strike authorization vote, but we can’t stop there. If you haven’t cast a ballot, please vote right now. This won’t be a vote to go on strike right away—a “yes” vote would give union leadership bodies the authority to call a strike if that’s what’s necessary to win fair contracts. No one will see how you voted, only whether you have or not.
Then, once you’ve voted, or if you already have, talk to your colleagues. Tell them why you voted yes, show them what we’re fighting for and the proposals the full-time unit and adjunct unit have made. If they have questions, tell them they can read our 2023 Strike FAQ. Yesterday in Newark, Sara Nelson challenged us to talk to 10 people today about strike authorization, 10 people tomorrow, and 10 people the day after that. Let’s meet her challenge!
One more piece of news about yesterday: 36 of our colleagues joined the union so they could participate in our vote on strike authorization! If you know someone who isn’t a union member but would want to make their voice heard, tell them to go to RutgersAAUP.org/join and fill out the form. Once they join, they’ll get a ballot!
In solidarity,
Becky and Amy
Rebecca Givan, President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Amy Higer, President, Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union, PTLFC-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
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/