Thousands of Rutgers University faculty and staff walk out in historic strike
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- For the first time in the history of Rutgers University, full-time and part time faculty members are on strike.
Nine thousand employees walked off the job Monday, and now Gov. Phil Murphy has stepped in to try to settle the contract disputes.
Hundreds of Rutgers University faculty and staff, along with students, took to picket lines across three campuses.
"We are standing our ground. It's been decades and decades of using cheap labor to teach students. The turnover so high, the pay is so poor," Rutgers adjunct faculty union president Amy Higer said.
Three unions representing 9,000 part-time and full-time faculty voted Sunday to go on strike.
Their demands?
"Better salary. Better working conditions. Great job security," said professor Leo Sacks.
Union leaders, who also held a rally, say adjunct faculty and graduate students make poverty wages while the university puts millions into sports.
"We know Rutgers has the money to do this quite easily. Our demands are modest," said Rutgers AAUP-AFT General Vice-President Todd Wolfson.
Rutgers officials were not available for an on-camera interview, but in a statement said they expect classes to go on as normal and "we are working hard to reach fair and reasonable agreements with our unions, but no matter the outcome of the labor negotiations, the wellbeing of all Rutgers students will remain top priority."
Murphy stepped in to speed up negotations.
"If we don't get a resolution, there are many losers, including many thousands of students who go to Rutgers," Murphy said.
The strike comes weeks before finals, and graduation. Some seniors say the day has been chaotic.
"We've been getting emails, all of us today, this class is canceled, that class just got canceled, this one is not happening," student Humza Mohsin said.
"I support the strike 100 percent. I support our faculty. I believe they are the ones that make our education possible," student Sid Srivastava said.
Murphy Monday brought both sides together for a dialogue at the statehouse. A Rutgers spokesperson said they're hoping for a quick resolution on remaining outstanding issues, but union leaders say their essential demands are far from being met.
The unions have been negotiating since last summer. Leaders say the situation is so bad, adjunct staff have to reapply for their jobs every semester. Whether a quick resolution is possible at this point remains to be seen.
Tentative deal reached
The Rutgers University faculty strike is reportedly over after the university and its three faculty unions agreed to the framework of a tentative deal overnight Friday.
In a statement, Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway said the deal "provides fair and equitable wages, benefits, and work conditions for our faculty as well as our graduate students and part-time lecturers."
The deal raises salaries by at least 14 percent by July 1, 2025, according to Holloway.
Negotiations continue
Negotiations continued Monday evening as Rutgers University and its unions try to end a strike.
Full-time faculty members are demanding 18.5 percent pay hikes over four years. Adjunct professors and grad assistants want better pay and job security.
"It's been decades and decades of relying on cheap labor to teach students. There's high turnover because the pay is so poor," said Rutgers Union President Amy Higer.
The vast majority of faculty members honored the picket line. Students in Newark said most, but not all, classes were canceled.
"There are a few professors who are still holding class. The mood among the students is that this is unacceptable. Why are you as a professor, when everybody else is out on strike, gonna be holding class?" said David Horan, an undergraduate student at Rutgers-Newark.
Students hope strike ends soon
Thousands of faculty and staff members at Rutgers University are on strike for the first time in the school's more than 250-year history.
The strike is affecting the school's three campuses in New Brunswick, Camden and Newark.
There's no timeline on how long it will last, but the unions and the university -- as well as the students -- hope a new agreement will be reached as soon as possible.
CLICK HERE for the latest from the New Brunswick campus.
NJEA: "We stand in solidarity"
The New Jersey Education Association released a statement in solidarity with those on strike:
"We stand in solidarity with Rutgers faculty and staff who are striking for the dignity, security and professional respect they deserve. Great faculty and staff are at the heart of every great university. The faculty and staff of Rutgers University provide a critical service to New Jersey families and are key players in our state's success. New Jersey is a national leader in both PreK-12 and higher education, and we need to respect and reward the professionals who make that happen at every level."
Picketing starts outside Scott Hall
Students, faculty, staff and community members started picketing Monday outside Scott Hall on the New Brunswick campus.
"We keep the university operating, we're here to teach the students, we do the research, we do the service. And we need to be able to survive. Cost of living keeps going up, our wages are not," said graduate worker Dylan Simpson.
While the university says the campus will remain open and classes will continue, some wonder about the students whose teachers are on strike.
Some of the students told CBS2 their classes have been canceled because their professors are picketing, but others said they weren't affected at all. Students across the board, however, said they hope it gets resolved as soon as possible.
"A strike is a last resort"
Unions representing 9,000 full and part-time faculty and staff plan to go on strike at the school's three campuses -- New Brunswick, Camden and Newark -- starting at 9 a.m. Monday.
CBS2 has learned the unions negotiated with university officials throughout the weekend, but both sides failed to reach contract agreements after nearly 10 months of bargaining. The contract ended last June.
The university said it brought in a mediator to help the two sides reach a deal across more than 100 bargaining sessions, and it will continue to meet until they reach an agreement that is fair, reasonable and responsible.
Meanwhile, union leaders say negotiations produced some movement in recent days, but the main issues are equal pay for adjunct professors, job security for all faculty and affordable housing for students.
Sunday night, union members held a town hall announcing their decision to strike.
"A strike is a last resort, but we have done as much as we can. I've been driving -- I live in Philadelphia -- I've been driving to New Brunswick every single day. I did take today off, because it's Sunday and I needed a break. But will be back on Monday," grad worker Sarah DeGiorgis said. "We are working as hard as we can. Management is not giving us what we need, and they are wasting a lot of time. So we really hope that this strike will move things forward."
Gov. Phil Murphy released a statement on Twitter asking both sides to meet with him Monday to have a "productive dialogue."
Union members plan to hold a rally on campus at 1 p.m.
Meanwhile, the university posted guidance for students on its website, saying the university is open and classes are proceeding as normal.
What to know: Info for students
The university posted guidance on its website, saying the campus is open and classes are proceeding as normal.
"We are working hard to reach fair and reasonable agreements with our unions, but no matter the outcome of the labor negotiations, the wellbeing of all Rutgers students will remain our top priority," the post read in part.
CLICK HERE for more information.
Gov. Murphy calls for "productive dialogue"
Rutgers University is one of the nation’s premier institutions of higher learning. I am calling the University and union bargaining committees to meet in my office tomorrow to have a productive dialogue. pic.twitter.com/KTDmpm3LKD
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) April 10, 2023
"Rutgers University is one of the nation's premier institutions of higher learning. I am calling the University and union bargaining committees to meet in my office tomorrow to have a productive dialogue," the governor tweeted Sunday night.