HPAE Rowan Contract Negotiations Update

Our negotiating team for 5089 and 5094 met with representatives of Rowan University and the New Jersey Office of Employee Relations on July 23 for continued contract negotiations.

We signed a memorandum of agreement that allows for joint negotiations with HPAE professionals and registered nurses and will merge the contracts into a single document. Additionally, we reached agreements for a global name change (replacing UMDNJ with Rowan) and ensuring our seniority status based on UMDNJ hire dates. Both are still pending signatures.

At this time we are still attempting to reach an agreement for a short term contract extension that will include a retroactive wage increase and a limited number of other issues including layoff rights, union reps, health insurance and parking.

The employer made some counter proposals regarding the number of union reps we can have and the bumping process. They rejected our proposals to eliminate parking fees and to establish job series bumping rights. They have not responded to our initial wage proposal and are not yet authorized to make us an economic proposal.

We are greatly concerned that a settlement may be delayed due to the pending state worker negotiations. We have stressed to management the importance of settling our contract as soon as possible with a respectable wage increase retroactive to October 2014.

Our next bargaining session is scheduled for Thursday, July 30. 

A lunchtime membership meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 4 at the Academic Center, Room 284 on the Stratford Campus.

The HPAE Negotiating Committee members are:

Donna Buonadonna, Developmental Disabilities (Local 5089)
Deborah Cruz, OB/GYN (Local 5094)
Marion Dugan, Research Administration (Local 5094)
Monique Frasier, CARES Institute (Local 5094)
Mary Kosciuk, Geriatric NJISA (Local 5094)
Sheila Lewis, Financial Services (Local 5094)
Patricia Lloyd, Developmental Disabilities (Local 5089)