Dear RBHS Faculty,

We are writing to update you on our efforts at the bargaining table this last month. We have now had several sessions with the administration whereupon we have put forth proposals on the following:

• Job Security for Non-Tenured Faculty
• Clarifying and Extending Family Leave Policies
• Strengthening Language concerning Non-Discrimination and Harassment
• Protecting Faculty from the Barnabas Alignment
• Improving Health, Safety and Preventing Clinician Burnout
• Achieving Parity for Tenured Faculty members with other Rutgers Faculty
• Expanding FTTRP (Transition to Retirement)

We would like to take a minute and highlight our proposal on job security. Specifically, we proposed creating a Non-Tenure Track article to work in conjunction with the A&P Guidelines. For the first time, it would allow faculty members to grieve directly a non-renewal of appointment or the denial of promotion. There have been a significant number of faculty members who have received a non-renewal of appointment or denial of promotion for no reason at all.

For example, the Union recently settled a $300,000 age discrimination case for a 25-year NJMS faculty member with an exemplary performance rating and among the highest billings in his department. In addition, the Union is now working on two similar cases at RWJMS.

These non-renewals are in addition to over a dozen faculty whose promotions were denied by the Chancellor without any explanation. This is despite successful recommendations at the department and school levels.

Our proposal would create an appeals board to review these decisions. It would also allow RBHS school faculty to earn the same job security, through presumptively renewable appointments, as their law school faculty peers currently have.

Ensuring these proposals make it into the final collective bargaining agreement will be difficult. However, with your continued help and engagement, we can make them a reality.

Sincerely,

AAUP-BHSNJ