Millerand Quoted in TCNJ Signal

Unions question equality of new savings plans
Posted on 01 December 2009

By Diana Bubser, Opinions Editor and Matt Huston, Nation & World Editor
[...]
Rutgers University, which is not covered under the same contract agreements as other state schools, formed a different strategy and brought on the resistance of union members.

According to Miranda, Rutgers met state budget requirements by “deferring wage increases without the use of furloughs, which are difficult to administer in a research university environment.”

“Management did not want us to take furlough days. Eventually, we agreed to negotiate on the basis of holding back raises until it equals the amount of 10 days’ pay,” Lucye Millerand, president of the Union of Rutgers Administrators-American Federation of Teachers (URA-AFT), said.

Rutgers University laid off about 30 URA-AFT members this year, Millerand said.

At Rutgers University, URA-AFT’s dissatisfaction over the implemented wage freezes prompted its boycott of Rutgers University President Richard McCormick’s speech in September.

“Management simply wants to get back more out of us (union members),” Millerand said, and mentioned that communication between union workers and upper management has not improved since the boycott.

Read full article at http://www.tcnjsignal.net/2009/12/01/unions-question-equality-of-new-savings-plans/