NJ Unions Say Revamped Deal With Rutgers Will Stop Layoffs

NEW JERSEY — Some of the largest labor unions at Rutgers University have given the green light to a revamped work agreement with the university, with leaders calling it “a new direction after a year of layoffs, cutbacks and crisis.”

On Wednesday, members of the Coalition of Rutgers Unions (CRU) issued a joint statement about their common agreement, which aims to protect the livelihoods of staff members in the face of “significant financial losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Together, the 19 union locals represent more than 20,000 Rutgers employees across the Camden, Newark, New Brunswick and Biomedical and Health Sciences campuses.

A tentative version of the agreement was struck with Rutgers University last month after weeks of negotiations. The deal amends some parts of the unions’ current work agreements, which are effective through June 2022.

Members of the five unions involved in negotiations – CWA Local 1031, HPAE Locals 5089 and 5094, Rutgers AAUP-AFT and URA-AFT – have since ratified the agreement by “large majorities,” the coalition said.

Spokespeople for the coalition said the new deal with the university will help their members in several ways:

• A no-layoff guarantee for staff unions running through January 1, 2022
• An improved program for funding extensions for graduate students whose research has been disrupted by the pandemic
• The reversal of a restriction on reappointing adjunct faculty that led to one-fifth of part-time lecturers losing their regular courses this current school year
• A timetable for payment of raises canceled last summer when the university declared a “fiscal emergency”

In return, the unions have agreed to a work-sharing program “designed to save jobs,” under which most members would furlough for a day or half-day each week through June.

The full income of almost all workers would be protected through state and federal unemployment benefits, thanks to the $300-a-week federal unemployment supplement extended in the COVID relief law enacted last month, union leaders said.

Staff reductions during the pandemic have hit the university’s adjunct faculty especially hard, union leaders said. According to the coalition:

“A year ago, the administration issued a memo mandating a 20 percent reduction in the number of adjunct faculty appointed to teach courses in the fall and spring semesters. Many adjuncts (called part-time lecturers at Rutgers) lost a regular source of income in the middle of the pandemic – for an estimated savings to Rutgers of no more than $4 million.”

‘WE’RE STRONGER TOGETHER’

When the pandemic struck last spring, the 19 unions of the coalition came together to “figure out how to stop layoffs and protect the vulnerable,” said Todd Wolfson, president of Rutgers AAUP-AFT, which represents more than 5,000 full-time faculty and graduate workers.

The coalition’s work-sharing proposal was initially rejected by university administrators. But after keeping the plan on the table, the unions are now celebrating what may be the “largest work-sharing program anywhere in higher education,” Wolfson said.

Christine O’Connell, president of the Union of Rutgers Administrators-AFT, which represents 2,500 administrative staff workers, said the new agreement was the result of teamwork.

“By ratifying an agreement with management as the Coalition of Rutgers Unions, with benefits that will be felt by all union workers, we show both Rutgers and our members that we’re stronger together and that solidarity is more than a word,” O’Connell said.

That spirit of camaraderie included the Part-Time Lecturers Faculty Chapter, which worked with other coalition unions during negotiations to get the hiring freeze order from the administration rescinded, treasurer Bryan Sacks said.

Even though he and the chapter’s other members weren’t part of the recent agreement, a victory for some workers is a victory for all, Sacks said.

“It shows we can make a better Rutgers when we join forces and fight,” Sacks said.

• See related article: NJ Union Membership Rate Grew Amid Pandemic – But With Fewer Jobs

Other people who offered support for the new agreement included:

Ihsan Al-Zouabi, third-year PhD student and executive council member of Rutgers AAUP-AFT – “One issue that was front and center in negotiations was financial support for graduate students whose work and research has been disrupted by the pandemic. Without funding extensions, grad workers would suffer ‘silent layoffs.’ The administration introduced a confusing and inadequate funding extension program in early March, but unions were able to win important improvements in the ratified agreement. This extension program will alleviate the precarious situations of a substantial number of graduate workers at Rutgers. This could not have been achieved without the leadership of grads, faculty support, and the strength and solidarity of the coalition. The language of this current agreement will pave the way for future efforts to fight for more just and equitable policies that are inclusive of all workers at Rutgers.”

Kathy Hernandez, executive vice president of Communications Workers of America Local 1031 – “During very difficult times, the Coalition of Rutgers Unions pulled together to hammer out a historic plan that includes furloughs but protects jobs and our members. This agreement sets an important example beyond Rutgers.”

Hetty Rosenstein, recently retired state director of Communications Workers of America – “This agreement provides job security to thousands of workers and is a historic living testament as to what can be accomplished through solidarity.”

Justin O’Hea and Ryan Novosielski, co-presidents of Health Professionals and Allied Employees Local 5094 – “After a year of false starts, many layoffs, and a variety of setbacks, we have been able to ratify an agreement through 2022 promising worker protections for our members who have been working very hard mitigating this interlocking crisis on the front lines. In addition, we have been able to preserve the raises we fought so hard for in our 2018 contract agreement. We achieved strong layoff language that will help preserve our vital workforce. This is a big first step for the Coalition of Rutgers Unions and is clearing the way for HPAE 5094 and the coalition to internally organize and collectively move forward into the contract campaign for 2022. This past year has opened our eyes to how truly fundamental it is to have a well-organized local, ready to act when it counts. This was a teaching moment and a learning experience. We look ahead to the future and hope to see more promising developments to come.”

Nicholas LaBelle, president of the Rutgers University Student Assembly – “The importance of unity in protecting some of our most vulnerable communities cannot be understated. By allowing for graduate funding extensions, we fulfill our academic mission and the promise of upward mobility granted by higher education. By returning PTLs to their positions, we not only ensure quality instruction but provide for these people's well-being in the midst of an economic crisis. By including and accounting for all stakeholders, we are achieving the values set forth in shared governance. These outcomes would not be possible without broad support, and this demonstrates the critical role students have in helping create and promote the values at our university that we all deeply believe in.”

Donna Murch, executive council member of Rutgers AAUP-AFT and co-chair of the union’s People of Color Caucus – “Concern about mass layoffs of the lowest-paid workers, many of whom were women of color, animated the coalition’s cross-class organizing. In a little over a year, this newfound solidarity has produced a historic agreement. With many universities facing closures and draconian cuts, the struggle at Rutgers points toward a resurgent labor movement.”

The coalition hosted a town hall meeting about the new agreement earlier this week. It can be seen below.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.