Penn State’s AAUP chapter sends message to Rutgers University faculty amid ongoing strike
Penn State’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, a national organization that promotes shared governance in higher learning, has formally lent its support to striking faculty members at Rutgers.
According to a Friday email by local chapter President Michelle Rodino-Colocino, Penn State’s AAUP chapter voted to issue a solidarity statement in support of three Rutgers unions that represent nearly 9,000 full- and part-time faculty members across all three campuses. The strike and walkout, the first in RU’s 257-year history, started Monday after more than 280 days of unsuccessful negotiations.
Rutgers’ unions are seeking pay raises, more job security for adjuncts forced to reapply for their positions each semester and better overall working conditions. Some grad workers have said they require public assistance like food stamps to make ends meet.
“We at Penn State share your struggle for living wages and job and health security that the pandemic has highlighted and deepened,” Penn State’s AAUP chapter said in its written statement. “We recognize that the dedicated, hard-working employees at Rutgers are striking because management has refused to treat you fairly. We recognize your right to strike and condemn legal action that Rutgers is considering to force employees back to work.
“We call on Rutgers to cease union busting. We urge the Rutgers administration to bargain in good faith with our colleagues to reach a fair and equitable agreement.”
One of the unions, Rutgers AAUP-AFT, posted the Penn State chapter’s full statement on Twitter and thanked them for the support.
“Having such a strong show of support from academic worker siblings & colleagues in other universities unions that there isn’t time to thank them all is the best good problem to have,” the tweet read.
According to NBC New York, negotiations were expected to continue “well into the weekend” — although progress has so far been made, with the Office of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy now supervising.
Rutgers has said it will make “every effort” to ensure students’ progress toward graduation is not affected.
