State’s demands were ‘onerous’ and ‘unprecedented,’ say negotiators
After 14 months of difficult negotiations with the state, and with state college and university presidents, the Council of New Jersey State College Locals reached a tentative agreement on July 2. The contract, which will cover more than 4,000 full-time faculty, librarians and professional staff at nine institutions, is retroactive to July 1, 2011, and runs through June 30, 2015.
CNJSCL president Nicholas Yovnello told NJ Today, a local newspaper, that the negotiations were the most difficult in his 40 years of bargaining. “We were able to withstand demands that would have decreased our ability to attract and retain skilled faculty, librarians and professional staff.” The agreement provides pay raises comparable to those of other state unions—0 percent for the first two years, 1 percent for the third year and 1.75 percent for the fourth year. It also “gives our members funding for professional development to build skills and contains an agreement that supports sabbaticals for faculty,” he said.
Tragically, Yovnello was killed in a car accident five days after the team reached the agreement.
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