College of New Jersey professors rally to protest contract dispute

By David Karas/The Times

Hundreds of professors and professional staffers participated in a Day of Action on the TCNJ campus Thursday to rally support for their ongoing contract negotiations with the state. AFT members have been without a contract for a year now.

EWING — With shouts of solidarity and calls for fairness, several hundred professors and professional staffers at The College of New Jersey wore their blue union shirts and assembled for a rally yesterday to rouse support for stalled contract negotiations.

Members of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 2364 and representatives from the Council of New Jersey State College Locals participated in the rally on the steps of Green Hall, home to the college’s administration.

Ralph Edelbach, president of the AFT at TCNJ, said the purpose of the rally was to show the campus administration that the union is organized and ready to push back against what he called the unfair demands of the state.

“The kind of contract we get …makes a difference in the quality of education we can deliver,” he said.

The governor’s office declined to respond to requests for comment.

The rally at TCNJ followed similar demonstrations at campuses of other schools that are members of the Council of New Jersey State College Locals.

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