Hundreds Protest in Support of the Teachers Union at Rutgers University

The demonstration was organized by the Rutgers American Association of University Professors and American Federation of Teachers (AAUP-AFT). The demonstration seen above took place in front of Winants Hall on College Ave in New Brunswick. This was before and during the Board of Governors meeting who are currently reviewing the current contract negotiations.

Hundreds of members from the Rutgers community showed up to protest on Dec. 6. Everyone from tenured professors, part-time lecturers (PTLs), students, and even puppies turned out to demand fair contracts for PTLs, more tenured professors, more diversity amongst the faculty, and a $15 minimum wage for all University employees.

“I’m an organizer with the union and I’m here because I want to see a campus that is economically just, racially just, and genderly just,” said Sudip Bhattacharya, a fourth year PhD political science student, teaching assistant, and part-time lecturer.

Diverse representation amongst faculty, especially tenured professors, was on the union’s agenda in the contractual negotiations. According to the Gender & Race Equity Union’s 2017 climate survey, 4.2% of the Rutgers faculty is African American compared to the 7.5% of the undergraduate population.

Avi Lewis, a new part-time lecturer in the Journalism and Media department at Rutgers said he was shocked by the difference in the rhetoric coming from the administration versus the reality. “To have only 4.2% of the the faculty that’s black in such a diverse student body like Rutgers’ is offensive,” he said.

One of the issues raised by union members and their allies is the discrepancy between what PTLs earn for themselves and the university. One single class generates a revenue of $30k for the University while a PTL earns about $5000 for teaching the course, according to Karen Thompson, a part-time lecturer in the English department for almost 40 years.

“We are just a revenue generating engine for the University,” she said. “We’re without not only adequate pay but no health benefits, no job security, very little visibility or respect.”

In addition to higher pay, PTLs are also advocating for greater job security, as of right now they’re employed on a semester to semester basis.

“We need pay equity, we need decent wages, and they’ve got to give us a contract,” said PTL Lewis.