Camden Stays in the Family
In light of the fast and furious merger negotiations; calls for oversight by our members and other higher ed unions, students groups and concerned citizens; and the hearings at the statehouse over the last few weeks, we can now take a sigh of relief in knowing that solidarity and accountability have led to two great things for the people of NJ and especially the Rutgers community:
1) The legislation postpones the reorganization of higher education in New Jersey until July 2013.
2) Rutgers has come out of the deal in one piece – Camden remains a part of Rutgers, and a leader in higher education in southern New Jersey.
Because of the hard work and diligence of our members and the leadership of several affected unions , we are glad to announce that several areas of concern have now been addressed by the final legislation . We were able to protect our union rights; put labor representation on the new campus advisory boards; and require the State Auditor to review the University budget and measure transfers of funds between the campuses. This provision will open Rutgers’ books in a very useful way for many purposes.
This is not the end of the story but it is a better path than where we were headed. URA and AFT staff will prepare more detailed analysis of the law and how it impacts Rutgers after the 4th of July holiday.
URA Members Speak Out on Legislation
While some URA members demonstrated, wrote and phoned their representatives, a hearty few travelled to Trenton in June to talk with legislators about a variety of issues. While Higher Education reorganization (“the merger bill”) received most attention on campus, union members from the AFL-CIO also spoke out on tax justice, minimum wage, and educational opportunity.
Here are the voices of some of the URA members who attended the Legislative Day on June 25:
Click here to watch Rhonda Smalls speak on keeping Rutgers in Camden
Click here to watch Nicole Curtis speak about education and jobs
Click here to watch Christine O’Connell speak on the millionaire’s tax
Click here to watch Titinia Brown speak about minimum wage
Register to Vote Now
Are you registered to vote at your current address? If not, register to vote now. Every vote is going to count in the 2012 and 2013 elections.
You can access voter registration information and forms at http://votesmart.org/elections/voter-registration/NJ