Institutional knowledge; commitment to campus community at risk
CONTACT: Nat Bender, nbender [@] aftnj.org 908-377-0393
WEST WINDSOR…After working 36 years at Mercer County Community College, Tony Bruzaitis is facing an uncertain future and concerned about continuity of critical instructional technology services for faculty, staff and students. “I love what I am doing and would like to continue to interact with faculty to identify the appropriate technologies to support student success,” he said.
Bruzaitis said he and the five other technology workers at Mercer who face the prospect of forced retirement or layoff touch every aspect of the college and should be absorbed into future plans. “We have been here for decades and have an institutional knowledge and a commitment to helping the college move forward in implementing and supporting new technologies.” As with several of the other potentially displaced workers, Bruzaitis feels like he has been a large part of the growth of the 50 year-old institution and has a lot to contribute.
The local union continues to negotiate with the administration to mitigate the impact of a plan to outsource technology services under consideration by the Board of Trustees. “Retaining these skilled workers is in the best interest of the entire campus community,” said graphic designer Francis Paixao, vice president of the union, affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers. “Identifying appropriate roles for them would require some creativity on behalf of the administration, but these are awesome employees who deserve consideration for the value they bring.”
The union is citing its contract that mandates a one-year notification period in the event of non-renewal of senior workers. “This is a provision that gives time for the college to evaluate the impact of the new technology plan, allow for knowledge transfer, and possibly determine how to absorb some or all of the displaced workers into appropriate roles,” said Paixao. “The union is calling on the Board of Trustees to honor the contractual provisions and work collaboratively with the union in the best interest of the institution,” he said.
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The Mercer County Community College Federation of Administrative Professionals represents approximately 150 workers in a variety of roles at the school. The American Federation of Teachers New Jersey is the largest higher education union in the state and represents 30,000 education workers.