HPAE 5094 Important Bargaining Update, October 22, 2026

On Wednesday, 10/21/26, after months of waiting for any type of economic proposal for Rutgers and a cancelled bargaining session on Friday, 10/16/26, it seems Rutgers decided to first take their counter proposal to the press. Simultaneously, they sent an email to leaders across all Rutgers unions. They took the cowardly way out. They did not even give us the respect to discuss their wage counter proposal during a bargaining session. We do not bargain via email; we do not bargain through the press: we negotiate at the bargaining table.

Their counter proposal for raises does not even cover all employees of bargaining units.

Management’s counter proposals are below.

Up to $50,000	3%
$50,000 – $75,000	2.5%
$75,000 – $100,000	2%
$100,000 – $200,000	1%
$200,000 +	0%.

Fewer than 20 people in our local union will actually get a 3% salary increase, and the math for those that do amounts to fewer than $60 per paycheck, before taxes. Our average member will see a 2% increase, and about the same increase per paycheck.

With inflation up 3.7% in the past 12 months, not even the lowest paid Rutgers workers would receive a cost-of-living increase. We also still have yet to hear about other “financial” proposals, like vacation accrual and bereavement.

Meanwhile, Greg Schiano, the football coach of Rutgers’ disappointing football team, will be getting a 3.84% salary increase from $6.5 million to $6.75 million.

We. Are. Outraged. This is unacceptable!

If you are also outraged, you need to fight. No contract will be settled without the approval of the members of this union, but management will not put across a better counterproposal if we do not demand it.

One way you can fight is by joining open bargaining on Monday, 10/26. The more members that attend, the more power we have at the table.

Here is the link to join at 11:45am in solidarity with your union:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/z_eAYvJDQZOpWl3z5bfshw

 

In solidarity,

HPAE Local 5094 Bargaining Team