Andrea Ohrenich, Armitage Hall Building Representative and Bargaining Team member
Our bargaining team met with management on Wednesday, June 17 at 33 Knightsbridge in Piscataway, a short distance away from Busch Campus. Much of our discussion involved issues of pay equity. We are still waiting for information requests that management has not complied with.
URA bargaining team member Jeannette Mullins introduced our updated Article 35 – Reclassification, which proposed clearer language regarding the reclassification process.
We discussed the continuation of Article 61: Self-Initiated In-Grade Salary Adjustment Pilot Program. Management claims they are apprehensive to renew based on “administrative burdens,” which they later described as sloppy or incomplete requests and under-utilization of the program. They are also concerned that after a reclassification is denied, employees are submitting the same request as an in-grade adjustment, although they confirmed that the required documentation is the same.
URA bargaining team member J.J. Cooper introduced an updated Article 51 – University Closings. We reminded management that since COVID, the University has not closed a single time due to states of emergency. Rutgers has policies on the books regarding extra pay for “essential” workers who are required to be on campus during closures. Since Rutgers management has decided that we should operate remotely instead of closing, we are asking them to pay our essential workers accordingly.
URA bargaining team member Barbara Nowakowski introduced Article 19 – Just Cause/Discipline. We are looking for contract language that affirms and respects the concept of progressive discipline, instead of supervisors acting on their own whims.
Management sent us a counterproposal to Article 44 – Sick Leave and rejected our entire proposal, except language referring to use of NJ Earned Sick Leave Law…which is already New Jersey law.
