Dear Rutgers Colleagues:
We are pleased to announce that Rutgers University and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 888 and Local 1761 have reached a tentative agreement for a shared work/furlough program. The tentative agreement will protect approximately 450 jobs within the Division of Institutional Planning and Operations and the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center. The tentative agreement must still be ratified by the union membership, and the shared work program is subject to approval by the State of New Jersey.
As you are aware, we have been working to explore ways in which to collaborate constructively to mitigate the financial impact of COVID-19 on our campus community while avoiding layoffs. The tentative agreement we are announcing today is the result of that hard work and is a credit to what can be accomplished when we focus on our important shared goals.
AFSCME Local 888 represents employees in maintenance, dining, housing, facilities, grounds, agricultural, security officers, and emergency management positions. AFSCME Local 1761 represents employees in clerical, office, laboratory, technical, and dispatcher positions.
We would like to thank the members of the AFSCME negotiating team and the Rutgers negotiating team for their hard work and efforts in reaching this tentative agreement.
Sincerely,
Daniel Duffy
President AFSCME Local 888
Joy Willinger
President AFSCME Local 1761
Vivian Fernández
Senior Vice President Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness