August 2018 Bargaining Update:
On August 13th, the URA bargaining team met with Rutgers management for our 10th meeting.
Management has proposed:
- FY19: No increase
- FY20: .5% Merit Pool with a range of distribution of .25%-.75%
- FY21: No increase
- FY22: .5% Merit Pool with a range of distribution of .25%-.75% Their proposal for TOTAL salary improvements over the next 4 years is 1.0%
- Increases to cost of meals Dining Services MUST pay
- Remove Step 1 and 2 from our Grievance Procedure
- Delete the Non‐Hostile Workplace article from our contract
- Require use of FMLA concurrent with sick time
We have presented our Salary Improvements proposal which includes:
- FY19: Across‐the‐Board Raise with Lump Sum. Same amount for all members
- FY20: Across‐the Board Percentage Raise
- Equity pool to bring members with more than 5 years’ service to midpoint
- Lump‐sum rebate to defray cost of health insurance
- FY21: Across‐the‐Board Percentage Raise
- Merit pool for members who “Meet Standards” (in unit on first business day of the year)
- Lump‐sum rebate to defray cost of health insurance
- FY22: Across‐the‐Board Percentage Raise
- Equity pool to bring members with more than 15 years’ service to top of range
- Merit pool for members who “Meet Standards”
- Lump sum rebate to defray cost of health insurance
Read more here
Scandals and SNAFUs: Rutgers Needs Accountable Leadership
From Rutgers AAUP‐AFT; posted on August 3, 2018 by swolf
Dear Colleague,
We’re sending this message mid‐summer because there have been so many scandals and SNAFUs that impact us. We are deeply concerned about the lack of accountable leadership at Rutgers. The high volume of summer communications from faculty to our union office suggests that many of you are equally distressed.
We are very concerned by the sudden resignation of Chancellor Dutta after barely a year in that position. We would like to know the nature of the disagreements about the university’s future between him and President Barchi. In our brief interactions with Chancellor Dutta, it appeared that he was open to working with our union around a number of shared goals to make Rutgers a truly great public university. For instance, he spoke of freezing—and even lowering—undergraduate tuition and fees. However, tuition went up
by 2.3% this year. We want to know, for the benefit of our members and students, what constituted the clash of visions between Chancellor Dutta and President Barchi.
Read more here
Rutgers Must Stop Huge Payouts to Booted Coaches and Officials, Lawmakers Say
By Adam Clark, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
State lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are criticizing Rutgers University for spending millions on payouts to former coaches and officials who stepped down early or were booted from their jobs.
One influential Democrat said Tuesday she’ll call for a Senate hearing unless University President Robert Barchi can give her an explanation for the decisions.
“Rutgers is playing fast and loose with taxpayer money,” Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D‐Bergen, said Tuesday. “Whose money do they think they’re throwing around here?”
Read more here
Upcoming Events
URA Bargaining Update Meeting
August 16 @ 12:15 pm — 1:30 pm EDT
Room 346, Conklin Hall, Newark Campus
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URA‐AFT Workshop: Understanding the Reclassification Process 102
August 22 @ 5:00 pm — 7:00 pm EDT
Room 122, Center for Law and Justice, Newark Campus
Report Back from 2018 AFT Convention
This year the AFT’s annual convention was held July 12‐July 16, 2018 in the city of Pittsburgh, PA. Our motto this year was “We Care. We Fight. We Show Up…And We Vote.”
URA sent six dedicated members to represent our union.
Livingston Campus lead steward Leigh‐Anne Cobb wrote about her experience attending convention:
As a first time delegate, I am now confidently prepared with examples and tools for meaningful conversations and outreach to our members. By serving on the Labor and the Economy Committee at the convention, I was able to witness first hand the dedication, authenticity and engagement I hope to attain “to continue the work of building membership and crafting a sure future for the union.”
Read more here
Striking Workers Can Now Get Unemployment Benefits In New Jersey
Updated Aug 12; Posted Aug 10 by Samantha Marcus, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Verizon workers on strike picket outside the company’s Robbinsville location in August 2016.(Michael Mancuso | For NJ.com )
Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday signed a law allowing striking workers to collect unemployment benefits in New Jersey.
State lawmakers first proposed the legislation two years ago as Verizon workers waged a six‐week strike against the telecommunications giant’s contract demands. About 4,600 of the 40,000 East Coast employees on strike worked in New Jersey.
Read more here
