As president of the Rutgers Council of AAUP-AFT Chapters, representing over 5,000 faculty and graduate employees at the University, I strongly support your efforts to gain collective bargaining rights and join our union. Many of your colleagues at Rutgers are already members of our union, including the grant-based research faculty with whom you work.

Our union has been negotiating collective bargaining agreements with the University since 1970, and we have consistently and effectively negotiated competitive pay and benefits, regardless of funding source. In addition, we have been tireless advocates of intellectual freedom. Through our national affiliates – the American Federation of Teachers and the American Association of University Professors – we have lobbied for effective visa reform and increased federal funding of scientific research, and with your support we can continue to be advocates for these issues.

As a Principal Investigator, I welcome the unionization of the post-docs because I want clear rules to follow in determining the pay and working conditions for researchers employed on my grants. And improved pay and benefits will help Rutgers to continue to attract top notch PhD researchers and remain a center of research excellence.

I pledge total support from our union in your efforts to improve your working life at Rutgers through a union voice. We look forward to a collaboration that will make us all stronger.