Rutgers president won’t rule out legal action to block strike

Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway won’t rule out the possibility of legal action to block the ongoing strike from Rutgers University’s faculty unions.

In a Monday evening email addressed to “Members of the Rutgers Community,” Holloway said that the university “will have no choice but to take legal action” if “there is no movement towards an agreement.” Gov. Phil Murphy personally intervened earlier to delay Rutgers from taking legal action to block the three unions from their ongoing strike.

Rutgers has claimed that the strike from Rutgers University workers — which is in its second day — is illegal under existing case law. Rutgers unions have emphasized that there is no state law that would bar their members from striking.

Negotiations between labor and Rutgers management remain underway, with both parties still negotiating at the governor’s office. In a union update Monday evening from Trenton, Rutgers AAUP-AFT President Rebecca Givan said the union did not receive or exchange any offers.

“The governor briefly told us he was unhappy we were here because it meant we were on strike and also happy we were here because it meant we want to work to get a contract,” Givan said from a conference room in the Statehouse.

Rutgers AAUP-BHSNJ President Catherine Monteleone said during the update that the “right people” were not present to negotiate with her respective union, although that’s expected to be fixed by Tuesday.

Bryan Sacks, vice president of the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union, PTLFC-AAUP-AFT, said the “speed of this process is being accelerated" with the involvement of the governor's office.

The strike encompasses Rutgers’ New Brunswick, Newark and Camden campuses, impacting approximately 67,000 students. The strike involved three unions: the Rutgers AAUP-AFT, which represents full-time faculty, graduate workers, postdoctoral associates, and Educational Opportunity Fund counselors; the Rutgers PTLFC-AAUP-AFT, which represents part-time lecturers; and AAUP-BHSNJ, which represents workers at Rutgers’ health sciences schools. There are approximately 9,000 striking workers.

Holloway also alleged in the Monday evening email that protestors entered and disrupted a class where there was a “critical exam” that was underway. A university spokesperson did not respond to questions for more details on the incident.

The unions wrote a response Tuesday morning which did not directly address the allegation but said that “[O]ur picket lines have been and will continue to be a peaceful, nonviolent expression of our determination to make a better Rutgers for our students and workers.”