Dear colleague,
On Friday afternoon, you received an email from Rutgers announcing “the implementation of the Rutgers Shared Work Furlough Program for AAUP-AFT Full-Time Chapter” starting on June 18, 2021.
That email is misleading, and it undermines our union’s democratic process. It should not have been sent while members are voting on a tentative agreement, including its provision for a work-sharing program. The agreement is tentative until our members ratify it, and the vote doesn’t close until Monday at 5 p.m. Our members decide, not Rutgers management.
Our union values democracy, even if management doesn’t. We want you, the membership, to have the time you need to reflect on this tentative agreement, learn all you need to know about it, and make your decision. We’ve written to you over the last several days about why we hope you vote yes. But until a majority of you do, we don’t have an agreement, and we don’t have work-sharing.
If you are full-time faculty or a TA/GA and a member of the union, please don’t let management’s disregard for our vote stop you from casting your ballot. If you haven’t voted yet, look for an email from “Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters”; it contains your secret ballot and voting instructions. You have until Monday, April 5, at 5 p.m. to vote.
In solidarity,
Todd and Becky
Todd Wolfson, President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Rebecca Givan, Vice President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Union merch is now available at our web store! Order today at: https://rutgersaaup.myshopify.com.
Rutgers AAUP-AFT Facebook page: https://facebook.com/RUaaup/
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @ruaaup
Freedom School YouTubeChannel: https://rutgersaaup.org/YouTube
Find the latest messages to members and union statements here.
Watch Todd’s video on the battles for our union today.