Union of Rutgers Administrators
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Join URA-AFT Rutgers staff and rally to demand that work is valued.
When: Wed., May 1, 12:00 Noon.
Where: Rutgers ASB II, 57 Rt. 1 South, New Brunswick
Parking: Visitor parking at ASB II or park at Sears and walk over.
Contact: union@ura-aft.org, 732-745-0300
URA and HPAE members rallied on their lunch hours while bargaining went on inside. Members called for fair contracts, job protections and health insurance relief.
Q: Who is going on strike?
A: Right now—no one, but that depends on bargaining. Rutgers AAUP-AFT faculty, graduate students, postdocs and EOF Counselors authorized the local’s leadership to call a strike if the university refuses to bargain a fair deal. They may call a strike at any time, even on short notice. It will probably depend on progress at their bargaining session scheduled for April 15, 2019 and any others to be scheduled.
Q: Does a strike make sense?
A: A strike is the ultimate expression of workers’ collective power—withholding our labor. None of us at Rutgers should settle for a less-than-fair contract that sets a pattern of poor settlements for other unions who follow. Rutgers AAUP-AFT members have developed a very carefully-planned strike effort and are prepared to use it forcefully at any time to leverage the best possible settlement and to stand in solidarity with other unions who need fair contracts too.
Q: Is anyone else on strike?
A: No other union at Rutgers has authorized a strike yet.
Q: Can we go on strike?
A: We are permitted to call a strike authorization vote too according to the provisions of our own constitution if/when necessary. Again, it depends upon progress at the bargaining table and unresolved unfair labor practices committed by the employer. We already filed three unfair labor practices against Rutgers management.
Q: How can we support the strikers?
A: Refer to Rutgers AAUP-AFT’s website for more details about the strike and how to support it: http://equitysecuritydignity.org/strike-faq/.
There are many priorities that we are focusing on: negotiating a fair contract; resolving member and workplace issues; and managing the day-to-day operations of the Union. All of these efforts present new and exciting challenges, and I look forward to working with all of you in finding creative ways to build a stronger and increasingly active URA.
In the first 100 hundred days, we have had:
8 bargaining sessions with management;
7 campus/ building meetings with several hundred members attending;
6 Rutgers coalition meetings with other union leadership here at Rutgers;
5 meetings with affiliates including AFTNJ, AFL-CIO, and Middlesex-Somerset Central Labor Council;
4 General membership meetings;
3 professional development workshops for members in Newark and Camden;
2 collective actions to show management that we want a fair contract with over 350 people participating;
and
1 executive board training held at Labor Education Center to plan for our goals moving forward.
Our goal is that management recognizes our exemplary work and the ways that we contribute to make Rutgers work efficiently and effectively on a daily basis. Our work touches every facet of this University, from Athletics to the Zimmerli Museum, every academic department, every business unit, and beyond. We serve the students, the faculty, and the community-at-large. We are the stakeholders who are often overlooked and undervalued and we need to change that paradigm.
Management can recognize our value through a strong contract. We have not been impressed with how management has responded in this current round of negotiating. We have been bargaining since last April, and they continue to offer low raises and other proposals that negatively impact us and reinforce their low value of the work that we do daily. This means that we need to step up our efforts to be seen and heard. We all want and need substantial raises, affordable healthcare, increased job security, and other parts of a great contract. To achieve that, we need everyone to come out to events.
Please consider this a personal invitation. Please also e-mail us at union@ura-aft.org with any ideas you may have about member mobilization and increased visibility. Together, we can impact contract negotiations and give strength to our dedicated bargaining team. Thank you in advance for your help and participation, and any ideas that you may have.
WHEREAS, the membership and the leadership of the URA-AFT deserve and desire a finalized contract settlement in May of 2019 that is fair and responsive to the needs and recognizes the value of the general membership at Rutgers.
WHEREAS, Rutgers University’s management team has delayed negotiations purposefully, failed to engage in meaningful proposal exchanges over issues deemed of great value to the membership, and has committed multiple unfair labor practices since negotiations began in April 2018.
WHEREAS, at this time we are faced with outside pressures from other unions settling too early on harmful agreements and the remaining unions are in alignment with URA-AFT that fair agreements over medical insurance, FMLA, fair wages and other economics proposals, and union security are priorities. And that these same unions have in some cases authorized a strike or charged their membership with escalation efforts to push management to settle fairly over these major outstanding issues.
THEREFORE, be it resolved, the Executive Board (Board) of the URA-AFT authorizes and will strongly encourage and see through an escalation of membership mobilization effort during the month of April 2019 and long as deemed necessary by the Board or general membership thereafter in support of a fair contract that pushes Rutgers’ management team to agree with its remaining priority proposals on medical insurance, FMLA, fair wages and other economics proposals, union security, job/career advancement and quality, and job security.
THEREFORE, be it resolved, the Executive Board of the URA-AFT charges the bargaining team comprised of voting committee members previously authorized, will hold firm on such proposals when facing managements’ negotiators and will not bring forth a final agreement if and until the will of the general membership has demonstrated its mobilization and escalation efforts to its fullest abilities.
THEREFORE, be it resolved, that the Executive Board will train itself, all stewards, building representatives and other workplace leaders on an escalation plan that it will see through to its fullest capacity, effort and resources immediately. The general membership of the URA-AFT will be involved to the fullest extent possible to participate in its own vested outcome of these negotiations and supportive mobilization plan.
The URA-AFT bargaining team met with management’s team again yesterday to negotiate. The meeting was less than productive and management’s proposals — particularly on salary — continue to be insulting and unresponsive to our needs on how we structure the raises. We did however make some progress on other proposals. Our bargaining team knows this contract could be settled in May, but not if management continues to disrespect the URA-AFT. Therefore, your actions and pressure away from the table needs to continue.
URA members came out to rally prior to the University Senate meeting and call on President Barchi and the university’s governing boards to show respect for workers. Here are questions for the Senate, Governors and President Barchi.
Here are questions, URA distributed to ask the Senate:
1. “Your role is to advise on areas including budget priorities, allocations, and general planning.” My question for you is—do you believe URA-AFT staff are valuable to this university? And if so what are you doing to demonstrate our value with budgeting and allocations? If you are not sure, we have some very reasonable salary demands that you can allocate.
2. URA-AFT staff serves the students, faculty and the community at large. We are integral to the operations of this University. Yet we are consistently overlooked and undervalued. How can the Senate help management understand that the University depends on our work, every day for almost everything?
3. FMLA is a medical and family leave entitlement that Rutgers negotiators are trying water down with its bargaining proposals. And sick time is an earned benefit here at Rutgers. Are you aware that the University unilaterally changed its FMLA policy without agreement by the union? What will you do to ensure the University stops violating the law?
Wear your button every day to call for a fair contract
Your raises, your benefits, your working conditions are all dependent on our contract. Be ready, be resilient.
Upload your photos to Facebook and tag @URA1766 and we will include in the #ButtonUpApril album
Tell Barchi—no more delays! Hard-working staff need a fair contact by May 1.
Come out to before the University Senate meeting Friday March 29 at 12:30 – 1:10 pm at the College Avenue Student Center so that President Barchi and the University Trustees see that you care about a fair contract.
Take your lunch break to gather for a brief rally about what we want before the Senate meeting. Union leaders and those who can take the time to stay until the open forum portion of the meeting will participate in the public portion of the meeting and voice questions from membership.
Send us your questions and statements in advance to union@ura-aft.org and make plans to come out next Friday.
