AFTNJ President Donna M. Chiera testified during the virtual New Jersey Assembly Labor Committee Meeting on Feb. 24 in support of A4680, which pertains to subcontracting agreements entered into by four-year public institutions of higher education.
“Before I begin with the specifics, I want to remind you that this legislation was the same legislation you recently passed and was signed by the governor giving limited protections to preK schools and community colleges around subcontracting,” Chiera said. “We believe the same limited protections should extend to the personnel who work in our New Jersey four-year higher education institutions.”
Chiera went on to say that subcontracting “is a form of privatization, a practice that takes union employees out of a negotiated collective bargaining agreement that includes salary, health benefits, pensions, security of rights and protections.” She cited Rutgers for having “a history of privatizing some of the services in Newark and Camden.”
In closing, Chiera said, “We are advocating for this legislation to be passed out of committee today and to be placed on the Assembly board list on Monday, not waiting for the session at the end of March. Because this planning process is going on now for fall 2021 semester, prolonging this process without these protections would allow universities to subcontract or privatize [during this time].
“I know many of you in the past have supported working families, workers’ rights and organized labor. I am asking you today to demonstrate once more that your support is not just hollow words. A way to show that you truly believe in the value of these workers is through action. Please support Assembly bill 4680, and let’s get it to the governor’s desk as soon as possible.”
The meeting concluded with the bill being released.
