Statewide Negotiations
We Need Your Support on April 14 & April 25

Our statewide union contract expired June 30, 2011. Since then, the Governor's office froze our step increases and suspended our sabbatical leave and career development programs. At the negotiating table, the Governor's representatives and the College/University Presidents put forward dozens of draconian demands. A summary of these demands are in the September 2011 issue of THE VOICE, the periodical of our bargaining agent Council of New Jersey State College Locals.

 

MSU has three Faculty and two Professional Staff representatives on the Council's negotiations team. The Council's negotiations team has met with the State several times since our first negotiating session in the spring of 2011. Despite our efforts, we have not made the progress we had hoped for over the past year.

 

Your negotiations representatives are dedicated and hardworking. But we can't be successful at the bargaining table without your help. The Union leadership is only as strong as its members' support. Only your involvement can convince Dr. Cole and her fellow Presidents to withdraw their extreme demands. We need you to participate.

 

Council Workshop on Saturday, April 14

The Council is sponsoring a workshop on building campus organizations for contract-related activities. Organizing experts from AFT National will lead the workshop. Volunteers from every work unit on our campus are encouraged to participate. Let us know if you are interested by contacting Bill Sullivan Bill.Sullivan@aftlocal1904.org for more information. 

 

Statewide Campus Action on Wednesday April 25

On April 25, Faculty, Professional Staff, and Librarian members of our bargaining unit will hold simultaneous rallies on our nine statewide campuses from 11:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m. We need everyone to get involved. Plan to participate!

Update on Local Negotations

Moving Forward  

On the heals of the successful conclusion of Local Negotiations on online learning course development for University designated online programs, the Negotiating Team has turned its attention to negotiating the Summer Work Schedules for Professional Staff and Librarians, as well as continuing negotiations on a range change program for Librarians and on-load credit for non-teaching assignments and coordination of academic advising for Faculty.  

 

If there are other items that you think are suitable for local negotiations, come to the Union Meeting this Wednesday or contact Ken Brook at Ken.Brook@aftlcoal1904.org or Lisa Ambrose at Lisa.Ambrose@aftlocal1904.org. 

MSU's Affirmative Action Day
Anti-Bullying and the Law: From the Classroom to the Office
AFT Local 1904 unit members are encouraged to attend the March 20th event sponsored by the MSU's Presidents Commission on Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity and Diversity. There will be a discussion and Q&A on the legal and social impact of legislation combating bullying in our schools and workplaces.  For more information, view the PCAAEOD's flier.
Current Events
Links to Recent Articles of Interest
  • AFT National endorses President Obama for President. Watch Randi Weingarten's statement now.    
  • "A Civil Right to Unionize" opinion piece appeared in The New York Times. Learn more about how unions have been affected by weak and anachronistic labor laws. 
  • Governor Christie has a new funding plan for public education. Read the article about his plan in The Star-Ledger.
  • A Rutgers-Eagleton poll found that 57% of voters oppose the merger of Rowan and Rutgers-Camden.   
  • On February 9th The New York Times ran an article about the education gap between the rich and the poor.
  • Want to learn more about how Workplace Bullying impacts an organization? Need tips on how to handle the Workplace Bully? Read Barbara Mannino's article on FOXBusiness' website. 
Sign the Petition
In support of a US law against Workplace Bullying
Millions of American workers, reportedly 1 in 4, suffer from Bully Pix workplace bullying, an epidemic form of abuse which is directly linked to severe anxiety, depression, and debilitating physical harm. Help support the effort to persuade President Obama's administration to formulate national legislation that will uniformly protect workers. Please considering signing the petition.
In Memorium
Joyce Lynn Schaffer
Joyce Lynn Schaffer, Head of Sprague Library's Government Documents Department, passed away on Friday, February 17, 2012, after a brief illness. Joyce joined the MSU community when she attended Montclair State College, earning  her B.A. in 1967.

After graduation she taught for four years. Joyce then returned to MSU as a Senior Library Assistant in 1971. She earned her M.L.S. from Pratt Institute Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences in 1973. Joyce was promoted to Librarian I on December 13, 1982 and became the first head of the Government Documents Department. During the early 1980s, Joyce served as the President of the Government Document Association of New Jersey (DANJ) One of the projects she oversaw was the compilation of an index to New Jersey documents. 


Joyce made many contributions to the Library and the University.  She served on the Library's Personnel Advisory Committee as a member and chair and on the Online Catalog Project Team in 1990 when the Library moved to a new system from its first online system. Joyce was an active member of the Library Building Committee and helped plan the addition and renovation that opened in 1992. She was also active on the Women's Study Committee and the Academic Computing Committee, which she chaired for several years.

Join with us in remembering Ms. Schaffer and her contribution to Montclair State University and the Harry A. Sprague Library.
Member News and Notes
  • Congratulations to Robert Aldridge for receiving two Grammy Awards at the Recording Academy's 54th annual Grammy Awards ceremony. He earned his Grammys in two categories for his opera, Elmer Gantry: Best New Classical Composition and Best Engineered Album. To read more about Dr. Aldridge's Grammy win click here.  
  • Congratulations to Julian Keenan for being named one of "Jersey's Biggest Brains" by Star-Ledger. To read the article in The Star-Ledger click here.   
  • Congratulations to Elizabeth Wishnick for her appointment as a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC.
  • Congratulations to Fawzia Afzal-Khan who received  a $70,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in support of her documentary film about the contribution women singers in Pakistan have made to the musical legacies of the Indo-Pakistani subcontinent.  
March 2012
Wolfson
Richard Wolfson, President
AFT Local 1904
President's Corner

I write this column every month as President of Local 1904. Through the work of the Local, I'm connected to a myriad of organizations that are doing important work beyond our immediate horizons, organizations that are concerned with workers, the middle class, and social issues in New Jersey.

 

I'd like to describe some of them here, in the hopes that you'll be inspired to participate on some level in furthering their (and our) efforts.

 

We are a member and regular participant in the work of the Essex-West Hudson Labor Council. The current Council President is Assemblyman Tom Giblin, and it's at these monthly meetings that we hear about legislative and other issues, and discuss with other labor representatives how they will affect our members. The Labor Council is also where we have direct access to elected representatives, and our long-standing participation helped us immensely over the years with political strategies that benefit our members.

 

We also are a member of New Jersey Citizen Action, our state's largest non-partisan citizen watchdog coalition working to protect and expand the rights of individuals and families, helping ensure that government officials respond to the needs of people rather than the interests of those with money and power. NJ Citizen Action coordinated last spring's demonstrations in Trenton in support of workers, women, minorities, and fair and safe working conditions throughout our state.   

 

There are still other organizations where we participate and pay dues or membership fees; New Jersey AFL-CIO and the American Labor Museum at Botto house come immediately to mind.

 

I want to thank those who have gone to meetings, rallies, and conferences that active participation in these organizations entail. And I want to urge the rest of you to give serious consideration to joining those ranks by general participation or as the Local's representative to an organization; we'll find a place for you at the table-or at a rally. Let me know if you're interested, or if you want more information.

 

In solidarity,

Rich

Upcoming Events

General Union Meeting:
When:   Wed., Mar. 7th
Time:    2:30-4:00 p.m.
Where:  SC 419
  
Solidarity Walks: 
When:   Every Wednesday
Time:    12:30 p.m.
Where:  Meet @ Cafe Diem
Join us in solidarity as we take a lunchtime walk around campus.

Like us on Facebook 
Scholarships Available

The Essex-West Hudson Labor Council's scholarship award for high school seniors is now accepting applications. Eligible applicants must be accepted at an accredited college or post-high school education program. Children of full dues paying members AFT Local 1904 who meet the above stated criteria are eligible to apply. The application deadline is April 23, 2012. For additional information, please  click here. 

 

Ad from National