Rutgers University strike suspended after tentative deal reached

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- The historic strike at Rutgers University is reportedly over as a tentative deal clears the way for thousands of teachers and students to go back to work and back to class.

Just after midnight Saturday morning, a tentative agreement was reached after a historic five-day strike at New Jersey's state university. Class will be back in session for the school's 67,000 students starting Monday.

"It's honestly really good to see that Rutgers is taking that money that, you know, we're spending $15,000 a year, and they're actually reinvesting it in us, and that feels like, that's very good, that feels liberating," Rutgers senior Rahul Sawant said.

• Related Story: Rutgers University president threatens legal action if there isn't quick resolution to faculty strike

The tentative agreement extends the academic staff's contract from six months to four years.

It includes:

• An at least 14% salary increase for full-time faculty and New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund counselors by July 2025,
• An over 40% salary increase for part-time lecturers,
• A nearly 30% salary increase for postdoctoral fellows and associates,
• And a 30% stipend raise over four years for grad students.

University president Jonathan Holloway described the contract as having fair and equitable wages, benefits, and work conditions while Gov. Phil Murphy said the tentative agreement "respects the interests of many different stakeholders [and] upholds New Jersey's values."

"This is utterly transformative, and it will mean the difference between being able to pay your rent and not, or having a sense of job security," said Donna Murch, associate professor and New Brunswick Chapter president representing the academic staff.

Murch says her heart is full.

"We are extremely pleased that we reached what we believe is the basis for a transformative contract for part-time faculty at Rutgers," Amy Higher, president of Rutgers' adjunct faculty union, said in a statement.

"We still have work to do to come to a full tentative agreement, and we will resume doing so next week," she added. "Most of all, we are eager to get back to teaching our students and helping them finish up spring semester."

The tentative contract agreements would make the university one of the highest paid for adjunct professors and the highest paying public university for grad students in the United States. Grad students like Hoang Ly are already thinking about what they'd do with the extra money in their stipend.

"I plan to buy a car. Right now I don't have a car, so it's good," he said.

After nearly a year of gridlock contract negotiations, about 9,000 faculty members across all three Rutgers campuses walked out on April 10, launching the first faculty strike in Rutgers history and one of the largest ever in higher education.

Rutgers and faculty labor union officials were meeting in the New Jersey State House this week to negotiate after the governor stepped in.

Watch Kristie Keleshian's report

The strikes have been suspended, but the fight hasn't ended; the university's BHSNJ union, representing health science faculty, still has outstanding issues while negotiating with separate management.

The union said in a statement:

"While a framework has been reached, there are still outstanding areas left to be bargained for the 1300 Rutgers biomedical health science faculty at AAUP-BHSNJ, including access to parental leave and better job security. RBHS Chancellor Brian Strom has been involved in this bargaining and should negotiate improvements in these areas so that we can move forward."

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