Rutgers University faculty members overwhelmingly ratified new contracts on Monday that boost pay and give workers additional job security, nearly a month after the historic five-day teaching strike.
Union officials said 93% of members who voted approved the new four-year agreements.
“Because of this commitment by our members, we made major gains in these contracts, especially for the most vulnerable and lowest-paid of the people we represent. We didn’t win everything we wanted. But what we did achieve is a testament to all of us, and we’re proud of it,” Rebecca Givan, president of Rutgers AAUP-AFT, which represents full-time professors and graduate workers, said in a statement.
This is a new moment for higher ed labor around the country.
The ratification ends the university’s year-long negotiations with three faculty unions that culminated in a week of canceled classes in April and the intervention of Gov. Phil Murphy, who pressured both sides to negotiate under his watch in Trenton.
“We are grateful to all those whose hard work contributed to reaching this agreement, and we thank Governor Murphy, his staff, and state-appointed mediators who helped the university and the unions resolve differences on key issues and enable us all once again to focus on the academic enterprise that is the heart of this remarkable university,” university spokeswoman Dory Devlin said.
The contracts mark a big win for key union demands and set the stage for other higher education institutions across the country to make similar asks for better wages and job protections as union actions rise across campuses, labor leaders say.
“This is a new moment for higher ed labor around the country,” Todd Wolfson, vice president of Rutgers AAUP-AFT said in a statement. “Other unions representing graduate workers and faculty organized, struck, and won strong contracts, inspiring us to fight for more. And now we’ve contributed to the largest strike wave in the history of public higher education.”
About 9,000 professors, adjuncts, librarians, clinicians, graduate workers and postdoc associates are covered by five separate contracts which include retroactive pay increases to July. Each of the contracts received more than 90% approval by each of the bargaining units, the unions said.
The agreements will increase the minimum pay for adjuncts to $8,331 per three-credit course by 2025 — a 44% increase over the life of the contract. The union initially demanded fractional pay that paid adjuncts a proportional rate of what full-time professors in their department earned. Though the contract does not include fractional pay, union officials say it does increase pay to comparable numbers.
Adjuncts who have taught for 12 years or more will also receive appointments for four semesters and those who have taught for two years will receive appointments for two semesters. Previously, all adjuncts had to reapply for their jobs every semester regardless of how long they had taught at the university.
Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union board member Howie Swerdloff said the gains were possible because all three unions remained in solidarity with each other and went on strike together, bringing the university’s three campuses to a near standstill as students joined their professors on the picket lines for an entire week.
“We bargained together, walked the picket line together, and won together,” he said.
Graduate student workers will also see their academic year salaries increase from $30,000 to $40,000 by 2025 and receive five years of guaranteed funding starting fall 2024. The contract also gives biomedical staff paid parental leave, which they previously did not have.
Full-time professors will receive a 14% pay increase through the length of the contract. The AAUP-AFT had also pushed for “common good” demands to help students and residents in New Brunswick, Newark and Camden, where Rutgers has campuses. That included a rent freeze for all Rutgers properties and a $1 million community fund to help neighboring residents in need.
The university did not institute a rent freeze or contribute to the community fund. But the unions said Murphy committed $600,000 in funding that will be administered through a 501(c)3. Union members also voted to voluntarily ask members for contributions to the fund as they continue to put pressure on Rutgers to match the state’s commitment.
Devlin said the university was committed to helping students with financial needs and will continue to focus on its program for students.
As part of the negotiations, Rutgers administrators also issued a letter stating they will no longer withhold transcripts or diplomas from students who have unpaid university fines such as parking tickets.
Nine other non-faculty unions, representing another 6,000 workers, are still negotiating their contracts with the administration.
