Click here to RSVP for the Town Hall meeting at 5 p.m. TODAY.
Dear colleague,
We have a tentative agreement from our negotiations that makes progress toward our people-centered demands of grad student funding extensions, job security for staff, an end to the PTL hiring freeze, scheduling of our deferred raises, and an end to the fiscal emergency. This afternoon, the union’s Executive Committee will go over the details and vote on whether to recommend this agreement. If they do, the agreement will go to a membership vote to be ratified.
Before that vote, you will have time to learn about the agreement and discuss it with your colleagues, starting with our town hall meeting scheduled for today. Please come to the Town Hall meeting TODAY (Thursday) at 5 p.m. (click here to RSVP).
Next week, we’ll schedule more discussions, and officers, members of the bargaining team, and union staff will hold office hours to hear your questions and concerns. We will then move into electronic voting (pending approval by the Executive Council).
This agreement is only tentative until our members say otherwise. We fought to make sure you have the time you need to come to your own conclusions about this deal and vote on it.
We’ll be going into specifics at the town hall and in future emails and materials, but here’s the broad outline of what we achieved:
- Our staff colleagues would have a no-layoffs provision in place until January 1, 2022.
- Grad workers would get improvements in the funding extension program announced on the three campuses that our union can enforce through grievances.
- Our part-time faculty colleagues got management to rescind its orders last spring that led to the layoff of one-fifth of PTLs for the fall and spring.
- Our raises that were deferred when management declared a fiscal emergency will be paid. We would get our July 1, 2020, merit raises on July 1, 2021, and our 2.5 percent raise due July 1, 2021, on March 1, 2022. The university would rescind its declaration of a “fiscal emergency.”
In return for these concessions from management, full-time faculty from our bargaining unit (with some exceptions, including those currently on visas) would take a half-day furlough each week for 12 weeks through June 30, under a work-sharing plan that will protect the full income of all our members making up to around $194,000 a year. (We know there are many questions and concerns about work-sharing; please read our updated FAQ andto see if we have an answer to your questions.)
We did not get everything we wanted from management, but we think we have made progress and built a strong union coalition through this process. Please bring your questions to the Town Hall meeting TODAY (Thursday) at 5 p.m.(click here to RSVP) so we can begin the discussions we need for our members to vote.
In solidarity,
Todd and Becky
Todd Wolfson, President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Rebecca Givan, Vice President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
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