Mary Ellen Maguire, International Student Advisor, Rutgers English Language Institute
The URA-AFT Bargaining Team met with Rutgers management for the third time on May 6, 2026 at 33 Knightsbridge in Piscataway to discuss new proposals we sent to them and counterproposals that we received from them. Overall, we have not received any initial proposals from management and we have not come to any agreements at this stage.
See details on proposals below.
Article 1: Recognition
We proposed including coadjutant appointments to our recognition article. This will protect our members who work additional appointments and ensure consistent pay.
Article 6: Bereavement Leave
Management rejected the additional family members we proposed to include in our bereavement leave article. They agreed to expand the type of PTO we can use to supplement our leave on a limited basis. We did not concede to management’s definition of family and responded with a counterproposal.
Article 33: Probationary Employees
We responded to management’s counter proposal that refused to acknowledge that on occasion some new employees have had their 90-day probationary period extended without sufficient reasons. All sides agreed that our mutual goal is to ensure the success of the employee. Management expressed satisfaction with the current process but members who have had their probationary period extended would disagree.
Article 36: Removal of URA Employee/Titles from the Bargaining Unit
Management made a counterproposal. We viewed it as very insufficient for not including steps for notifying the union before positions are reclassified and removed from the bargaining unit. We intend to counter this.
As we develop our proposals, we strategically analyze member priorities, changes in federal and state laws and rulings, lessons learned from members’ experiences, and things that improve our members’ lives. We look forward to meeting with members in upcoming campus meetings to share feedback and participate in contract campaign activities.
Rutgers management insists on bargaining over proposals that have an economic impact toward the end of negotiations, so these have not yet been addressed. We have another bargaining session on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at 33 Knightsbridge.
