From J.J. Cooper, Facilities and Events Coordinator, Mason Gross School of the Arts
The URA-AFT Bargaining Team met with Rutgers Management for the second time on Wednesday, April 29. These are initial URA proposals. They will change as the bargaining process continues. Our bargaining team submitted three new articles to management prior to this meeting, all of were discussed at the bargaining table:
Article 6: Bereavement Leave
The URA bargaining team proposed adding additional family members to our bereavement leave article that we feel should be included. We also proposed language that would expand the type of PTO we can use for supplemental leave. Currently, we may only use vacation time. We proposed allowing members to use any accrued PTO for additional leave. Management indicated an openness to working with us in both areas and indicated that they would submit a counterproposal.
Article 23: Meal Allowance
Article 23 currently provides an $11.00 meal allowance for URA employees working for 12 consecutive hours. As food costs have increased significantly, the URA bargaining team thinks the current amount does not meet our members’ needs. We proposed raising the allowance. Management pushed back against a large increase and told us that they would submit a counterproposal. We also discussed the difference between the on-campus meal allowance vs. Travel/Per-Diem allowances.
Article 33: Probationary Employees
The URA bargaining team proposed language to address situations that have arisen during the current contract where new employees have had their 90-day probationary period extended another 90 days without being provided an adequate reason. The bargaining team proposed changes that would formalize the evaluation process and limit the reasons that management can use to extend the probationary period. Management contended that the 90-day probationary period is already a relatively short period of time compared to other comparable union contracts and questioned whether there was an issue here. They indicated that they would be submitting a counter-proposal.
Overall, this was a very productive day for the URA bargaining team. There was over an hour of time spent at the table with management, and the rest of the day was spent working on new proposals that will be sent to management before our next meeting. Management has agreed to meet weekly with the URA bargaining team moving forward, which indicates a willingness to work together toward our successor contract.
Our current contract expires June 30, 2026, but most provisions stay in place until we approve a new agreement. Now is the time to get involved for a strong contract. Meet the Bargaining Team, Take the Contract Survey, rsvp now for our Contract Campaign Launch lunch gathering on May Day in New Brunswick and more on the URA Contract Page.
