CONTACT:
Bill Tucker, Vice President
Patrick Nowlan, Staff Representative
732-445-2278

On Monday August 2, 2004, secret ballots were counted in the contract ratification for the full time faculty members and the teaching and graduate assistants at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. In the largest contract ratification vote in its history, the AAUP membership overwhelmingly supported the new agreement that was tentatively reached with the Rutgers administration on June 14, 2004 – nearly one full year after the previous agreement expired. Over ninety-six percent of the 1,110 valid ballots cast were in favor of ratification. The strong vote clearly reflects an energetic membership eager to move Rutgers forward to better serve our students and our communities.

Details of the agreement are attached in the letter to the membership from AAUP President Rudy Bell, Professor of History, dated June 17, 2004 or by the visiting the following website: www.rutgersaaup.com .

The AAUP is still negotiating a new agreement for Part-time Lecturers at Rutgers who have also been working without a contract since June 30, 2003. PTLs at Rutgers teach over 30% of the courses and earn salaries that are among the lowest for part-time faculty at universities on the Northeast. PTLs at Rutgers earn a minimum salary of $2,550 for teaching a standard three-credit course.

The Part-time Lecturer Faculty Chapter of the Rutgers AAUP and the Rutgers administration are currently in mediation, with the assistance of a state-appointed mediator, after the university declared impasse in negotiations in June of this year. Outstanding issues include minimum salaries, health benefits, and job security. The PTLFC-AAUP membership is currently voting on whether to authorize job actions for the Fall semester which begins on September 1, 2004.

"Relying so heavily on part-timers while undercutting their salaries and benefits shortchanges students," points out Jeff Kosten, President of the PTLFC-AAUP. "Students deserve teachers who are not distracted by low morale, health concerns and economic pressures."

A smaller professional unit of Equal Opportunity Fund Counselors represented by the AAUP is also negotiating a successor to their previous agreement which expired on June 30, 2003.

August 3, 2004

Dear Colleague,

In secret ballots counted on Monday, August 2^nd, the membership of the Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters overwhelmingly approved a new contract for 2003-2007, covering all full-time faculty, teaching assistants, and graduate assistants. The vote was 1070 in favor (96.4%), 37 opposed (3.3%), and 3 abstaining (.3%). Twenty invalid ballots were not counted.

This is the largest turnout in Rutgers AAUP history and reflects the growing vitality of our union. The highly positive result also conveys the membership’s deep appreciation for the arduous work done by the AAUP negotiating committee, led by Professor of Chemistry Robert Boikess.

Some members availed themselves of the opportunity provided on the ballot to comment anonymously on the contract, and as soon as we have assembled the printable responses, we will post them on the AAUP website, www.rutgersaaup.com. In advance of doing so, however, we can inform you that some of these comments addressed the shamefully low pay received by PTLs, who have made very little progress in negotiations with the administration for their own contract.

We will keep you posted on committee work and other AAUP matters as developments occur.

In solidarity,

Bill Tucker, Vice-President