Another Rutgers union considers strike as profs return to classes

Karen Yi

Published Apr 17, 2023

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A statue of the Rutgers mascot, the Scarlet Knight, with an "On Strike" sticker at the university's main campus in New Brunswick. Three faculty unions ended their strike early Saturday morning, but a fourth union representing administrative workers is considering its own walkout.

Photo by Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Karen Yi

Published Apr 17, 2023

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A union representing Rutgers’ administrative workers began asking its members on Monday whether they want to go on strike — just as three faculty unions returned from their own historic walkout.

The URA-AFT — which represents more than 2,500 employees working in admissions, student affairs, procurement and residential life, or as student counselors — launched a strike pledge Monday asking members whether they wanted to start the process of going on strike. The pledge will be open until April 24.

“Ultimately the goal is to get a contract, all of these actions aside as we continue to bargain. If bargaining begins to move quicker or more successfully or if there’s sustained movement, then this [a strike] doesn’t happen,” URA-AFT President Christine O’Connell said.

O’Connell said an overwhelming majority of members would have to sign the strike pledge for the union’s executive board to decide to hold a strike authorization vote — which would then give board members the power to call for a strike.

She said the union wants wage increases tied to inflation for the hundreds of job titles it represents. Members also want clearer paths for promotion and the option for employees to work remotely if their jobs allow them to.

She said she hopes university administrators can settle their contract before members decide to strike — like their colleagues, who canceled classes for a five days in the first teaching strike in Rutgers history.

“It would not be in [Rutgers’] best interest to perpetuate this as a cycle in order to get a contract,” O’Connell said. “You shouldn’t want a work stoppage. You should value your employees. You should care about the people who work here.”

University spokeswoman Dory Devlin didn’t directly respond to a question about the union’s strike pledge on Monday.

“Our focus right now is on reaching an agreement beyond the framework agreed to [with faculty unions] on Friday night and to support our students' continued academic progress,” she said in an email.

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Karen Yi

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Karen Yi covers homelessness and poverty. She joined the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom in 2020. Before that, Karen covered Newark for the Star-Ledger and spent almost a decade working for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida. She grew up in Miami and has a dog named Cashew. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-589-1460.

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