On Monday, April 10, Rutgers academic workers went on strike. This is the first faculty strike since the university began in 1766. There are three unions that represent about 9,000 Rutgers staff members. These unions are the Rutgers American Association of University Professors American Federation of Teachers (AAUP-AFT), the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union, and the American Association of University Professors Biomedical and Health Sciences of New Jersey (AAUP BHSNJ). The unions are fighting for wage increases for all the workers they represent. However, the strike mostly pertains to adjunct professors and graduate students, who work at the university. Adjunct professors are professors who do not work full time and are not tenured at the university. They want a living wage for the graduate student workers and postdoctoral associates. The adjunct professors are advocating for more job stability. In addition to this, the unions are looking for other benefits, such as increased family leave, more affordable housing, and forgiveness of some fees.

The unions and the Rutgers Administration have been meeting with Governor Phil Murphy to try to put an end to the strike. As of Friday, April 14, there has been no resolution to the strike. However, both the unions and the president of Rutgers, Jonathan Holloway, say that they are making progress with the negotiations. Many classes were canceled this week at Rutgers because the professors were on strike. Senior students are worried that this may impact their upcoming graduation. There is also talk of how the strike could impact students next year, if the tuition is raised to accommodate the unions’ demands. This will be a historical strike that will greatly affect the future of Rutgers University.