After working without a contract for more than 18 months, the union representing graduate students, post-doctoral students and adjunct faculty at the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Tuesday voted to ratify a new labor pact.

The two-year contract includes pay raises and expanded health care for members of the United Council of Academics (UCAN) at NJIT.

“That means being able to afford medications, being able to afford daycare, being able to afford the day-to-day life, things that my family and my household need, so it’s literally a lifeline for me,” said Jose Pabon, a PhD candidate and UCAN member.

The agreement also includes parity with the salaries won by adjuncts, post-doctoral students and graduate workers at Rutgers University after their strike last spring.

“We had a very intentional impact here and of coordination between all of our bargaining table,” said Patrick Nowlan, who leads one of the Rutgers unions that went on strike. “Our members wanted a good, strong contract, whether they were at Rutgers or at NJIT, and they were willing to take the votes, take the steps necessary to make that clear to management at both institutions. So that’s the result of it, whether it was fear, concern or just respect for our members.”