Unions enter university merger fray

Written by EILEEN STILWELL, Courier-Post Staff

A coalition of 11 labor unions representing employees of Rutgers, Rowan and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey will offer testimony today before the Senate and Assembly Higher Education Committees on the proposed realignment of the three institutions.

While Gov. Chris Christie and his hand-picked committee negotiate details of a possible merger, labor wants a seat at the table to protect an estimated 20,000 jobs and to ensure that the quality of the institutions and its community service is not diminished.

“The merger of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the School of Public Health and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey with Rutgers University is not as simple as changing the letterhead or the sign on the door,” said Kathleen Hernandez, executive vice president of Communication Workers of America, Local 103, which represents clerical workers in all three schools.

Hernandez wants answers to nuts-and-bolts questions about seniority, potential layoffs, and will everybody be considered new employees and restart their careers with reduced benefits? What happens to existing collective bargaining contracts?

The coalition represents the largest unions involved in blending medical education among the three schools, but the total number is probably closer to 15, said Nat T. Bender, spokesman for the American Federation of New Jersey Teachers.

“We are calling for transparency and public accountability in a very complex process,” he said.

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