Rutgers Universityin New Jersey has reached a framework with faculty unions that will suspend a weeklong strike, with classes to resume next week, the school and unions announced Saturday.
Three faculty unions that have been on strike since Mondayagreed to the framework of new contracts that would provide better pay, benefits, and job security for full and part-time faculty.
The framework that was reached late Friday night between Rutgers and its faculty unions provides fair and equitable wages, benefits, and work conditions for faculty as well as graduate students and part-time lecturers, Rutgers president Jonathan Holloway wrote in a statement, crediting New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy with assisting.
“Closure on this framework will allow our 67,000 students to resume their studies and pursue their academic degrees,” Holloway said. “Nothing we do is as important as living up to the expectations that our students and their families have of us to be fully supportive of them and nurturing of their academic ambitions and dreams.”
This is the first strike in the school’s 256-year history. The three unions on strike represent over 9,000 members.
Rutgers faculty on strike for first time in school history
"We have no other choice," says a Rutgers University union as it joins thousands in the fight for fair pay and benefits for faculty and staff.
Nusrath Yusuf, a graduate student assistant at Rutgers, said she has been living on $30,000 a year, which is difficult in New Jersey.
“Thirty percent of grad students are food and housing insecure. And that was before inflation kicked in,” said Yusuf while protesting on Monday, adding that many go to food pantries to meet basic needs.
The Rutgers AAUP-AFT union announced on social media Saturday that a framework has been reached and the strike is suspended while an agreement is finalized.
“The wins that will come in this contract are owed to the amazing and powerful work of member organizers on the ground,” Rutgers AAUP-AFT tweeted.
Jackie Watters, a teaching assistant at Rutgers, called on Rutgers to be good citizens.
“I grew up in this community, and I really strongly believe that Rutgers needs to integrate itself into our community, and it needs to serve our community and benefit our community, just like universities all over the world,” Watters said.
The agreement on new contracts will increase salaries across-the-board for full-time faculty and counselors by at least 14 percent by July 1, 2025, Rutgers said in a statement.
It will provide a 43.8 percent increase in the per-credit salary rate for part-time lecturers over the four years of the contract and strengthen their job security. The minimum salary for postdoctoral fellows and associates will increase by 27.9 percent over the same contract period.
The agreement provides a commitment to multi-year university support for teaching assistants and graduate assistants, Rutgers said. Graduate students, in addition to receiving health care coverage and free tuition and fees, will see their 10-month salaries increase to $40,000 over the course of the contract. The contracts are retroactive to July 1, 2022.
“I’m grateful to our negotiating team and optimistic that the membership of these unions will vote to ratify the contracts when fully completed,” Holloway said in a statement.
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