New Retirement and Separation Incentives for 2024

AFT Local 1796 has collaborated with WPU’s HR department to devise new retirement and separation incentives for 2024. You can read them on HR’s website, along with an FAQ.  Per HR, “Eligible employees may apply, and the University will approve applications contingent upon its operational needs and the fiscal impact of a proposed transition/separation. Please note that the University is not likely to approve applications from employees in high demand programs such as Nursing and Speech Language Pathology.”

Please see HR’s October 11th email announcement about the program for complete details.

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A Call to Wear Your Blue Shirt and Button

We are currently working to negotiate Contracts that provide comparable gains with our Rutgers and CWA brothers and sisters. While the Union cannot promise that we will achieve what Rutgers or CWA achieved, our Local negotiators and all those at the bargaining tables promise that we are committed to negotiating Contracts that provide meaningful, significant salary increases and protection of worker rights.

In order to achieve these gains, the Executive Board of our Local needs your help.  We need to show solidarity and support for what the Union is working to achieve.  We are asking you to join us in the following symbolic but important actions:

  • Wear your AFT blue t-shirt or carry it at all meetings where administrators are present (i.e. Enrollment and Budget, Senate, Chairs’ Meetings with Deans and/or Provost; any and all meetings where management is present)
  • Wear the Local 1796 “No Contract: Still Working, Always Caring” button in class so that students will make inquiries about what it means.  Spend a few minutes of class time explaining what is going on regarding our Contract status.
  • Attend AFT General Meetings and wear or carry the AFT blue t-shirt (and the button).
  • At the bottom of your email, add the following language to mirror the button:

AFT Faculty and Staff Working
Without a Contract

*Still Working
*Always Caring

Please show your support by engaging in the aforementioned symbolic actions.  Please note that other Locals are also engaging in similar symbolic actions.

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AFT Local 1796 Buttons Are Now Available

We distributed our new AFT Local 1796 buttons at our September 19th general meeting. If you weren’t able to attend, please stop by the AFT office in Grant Hall #233 or contact the office at aft-office@wpunj.edu to make arrangements to pick one up.

Together, let’s make it known that even when we’re working without a contract, we’re always doing right by our students.

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2023-2024 Professional Staff Representatives

9/19/23 UPDATE: The second and final round of nominations for the three (3) Professional Staff representatives to the AFT Local 1796 Council has concluded. Because we received three nominations for the three available positions, an election will not be held. The 2023-2024 Professional Staff Reps are Stephanie Kuran, Steven Colon and Theresa Bivaletz. Congratulations!

The duties/responsibilities of the Professional Staff Representative include:
1. Attend the General & Local Council Meetings held the third Tuesday of each month during common hour for the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters (a total of eight meetings).
2. Disseminate relevant information from those meetings to professional staff on campus.

Please see our Rosters page for Local 1796’s full list of representatives.

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Faculty Mentoring Pilot Program Agreement

Our Local has reached an agreement with the Administration on the Faculty Mentoring Pilot Program for the 2023-2024 academic year. Read the full Memorandum of Agreement.

Highlights of what we negotiated:

  • Mentors will be compensated 0.125 credits for participating in the 5/23/23 workshop and for any additional workshops thereafter in preparation for the Fall 2023 pilot launch
  • Mentors will be provided at least two weeks advance notice of additional workshops
  • Mentorship during the pilot period will generally not exceed 20 hours per semester
  • Mentors will not be responsible for degree audit reviews
  • Mentors’ responsibilities in Navigate are limited rather than extensive
  • Faculty mentorship will be counted toward department, college, and university service
  • Faculty mentorship will be taken into serious consideration during retention, promotion, range-adjustment, and post-tenure review process

We encourage you to read the MOA for complete details.

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