Dear AAUP-BHSNJ Faculty, 

We are stunned to learn that the University will no longer be honoring the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) 25% minimum pay provision in our contract. As a result, many faculty member salaries will be falling below this benchmark.  The 25% provision represents the lower quartile point of the AAMC annual Faculty Salary Report and is broken down by rank and specialty.  When it was first paid out last August, it allowed 148 faculty (mostly in RWJMS) to get a substantial raise, with the average amount being $15,786.  

Our union contract requires the University to use the latest AAMC Faculty Compensation table in effect at the beginning of the fiscal year (July 1st) and keep faculty paid at that level.  To our surprise, the University has told us it has no plans of utilizing the latest table and paying faculty consistent with it. Given that most pay benchmarks increase from one year to the next, if you are one of the faculty whom received the 25% pay increase, there is a decent change your pay will now fall below the 25% threshold.  

Our union will of course being filing a grievance to enforce this provision and make sure our faculty get paid for their hard work. It is unconscionable that the University, which is now flush with cash, is exploiting our least paid faculty, especially when prices are so high.  

We also believe a 25% threshold is way too low. For this reason, we will be proposing that the minimum pay threshold be increased to the national median as part of upcoming negotiation.  We will be proposing similar measures in some of the non-medical schools as well. 

Please support our efforts to keep faculty paid fairly.  If you have not yet signed our www.onerutgersfaculty.org petition, please do so now. You can sign here. 

Please also take a moment to forward it to a colleague.  We are aiming for 500 signatures to close out the month of June and we are really close, but we can only do that with your help.  

Just two minutes of your time can go a long way. 

Sincerely, 

Diomedes Tsitouras

AAUP-BHSNJ

Executive Director