Credit: (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Three unions at Rutgers University representing some 9,000 faculty and adjuncts as well as researchers and clinicians continued their strike into Tuesday.

Both sides met Monday for negotiations arranged by Gov. Phil Murphy after union leadership called a strike on Sunday night.

Rutgers AAUP-AFT, the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union and AAUP-BHSNJ, the Biomedical and Health Sciences of New Jersey union, are calling for job security, salary increases, what they call living wages for workers and affordable health insurance. Union members have been working without a contract since last summer and they have not come to an agreement with the university. Calling a strike, they said, was their last resort.

The strike affects some 67,000 students at all three campus locations in New Brunswick, Newark and Camden.

As contract negotiations continue, what’s next? How long could the strike last?

Are classes canceled?  

The university announced on Monday that it is open and operating and that classes are proceeding on “a normal schedule.” However, many students reported their classes were canceled.  

What happens next?  

The unions and university officials will continue negotiations until they reach a tentative agreement. Members would then vote on the agreement and if it is approved, they may return to normal duties. Until then, the strike continues.  

The university has stated it may seek a court injunction to compel a return to work by the striking workers. But, Politco reports, a spokesperson for the university said Murphy asked them to delay legal action and school officials agreed to refrain as long as it appears that progress in negotiations can be made.

On Monday, union leaders and university officials met with Gov. Phil Murphy and members of his staff to further negotiate in hopes of reaching a tentative agreement. Negotiations are set to continue Tuesday.  

How much more money are professors asking for? 

For full-time faculty, Rutgers AAUP-AFT is asking for a salary increase of about 20% over four years, with an additional cost-of-living adjustment if the rate of inflation is greater than 5%. For graduate workers, the union is asking for a 37.6% increase in the minimum salary over four years, with a 23.2% increase in the first year.

Under their current contract for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, the minimum salary for professors if their appointment is for the academic year is $81,549. If their appointment is for the calendar year, their minimum salary is $93,781. Full-time teaching assistants and graduate assistants get a minimum salary of $30,162 for the academic year and $33,999 if their appointment is for the calendar year.