Protests are being held at Rutgers University, this time by the Union of Rutgers Administrators whose officials say they’re analyzing member surveys over a strike pledge, a move that could lead to an official strike authorization vote and possibly make URA the fourth Rutgers union to go on strike this year.
Lucye Millerand, executive vice president of URA-AFT Local 1766, said negotiations have not achieved much so far. “The sticking point is the unwillingness to respond to very reasonable demands we have put forth,” Millerand said, adding, “The economic proposals they’ve put forward are insulting. We want some reward for our essential workers who can’t work from home, but yet were here all through the pandemic, keeping the place safe.”
“We are very optimistic that we could do this without a strike, because we’ve always done it, since 2008, without a strike,” Millerand said. “We know the money is there, we know our demands are reasonable.”
The three Rutgers unions that went on strike just over two weeks ago suspended their strike to try to work out a deal with Rutgers management. The union representing the faculty in the biomedical and health sciences say it is making progress but that if a deal is not reached by Thursday, members will rally that night at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in New Brunswick.
