At Newark public schools, hundreds of food service and non-instructional workers, represented by Workers United, have been without a contract for five years and are not getting any closer to resolving this stalemate given the school administration’s unwillingness to engage in meaningful negotiations. Rather than hearing the concerns of workers, whose wages have been frozen for five years, Governor Christie and Newark Schools Superintendent Cami Anderson, decided to give substantial salary increases to high level administration staff.
CLICK HERE to contact your legislators and pass along a simple message for them to “please support AR-137/SR-82 to help Newark public school workers achieve a fair contract” The resolution could be voted on as soon as this Thursday.
The fact is that this administration wants to dismantle Newark’s public schools in favor of charter schools. To them a union contract only poses an obstacle to this mission, and workers’ livelihoods are simply being treated as collateral damage.
We applaud Assembly sponsors Thomas Giblin (D-34), Cleopatra Tucker (D-28), Ralph Caputo (D-28), Sheila Oliver (D-34), Eliana Pintor Marin (D-29), and L. Grace Spencer (D-29) and Senate sponsor Ronald Rice (D-28) for taking a stand against this injustice and supporting resolution AR-137/SR-82, we also thank Senator Teresa Ruiz (D-29) for her committed support of this resolution, which urges the Commissioner of Education and the State District Superintendent of the Newark School District to take immediate steps to resolve the longstanding contract dispute with unions representing non-instructional staff of the district.
New Jersey State AFL-CIO conference delegates unanimously adopted a resolution supporting these workers during the Legislative/COPE Endorsement Conference held this June.
These workers deserve respect and jobs that allow them to support their families. Join to support the cause, and send a message to your legislators asking them to “support AR-137/SR-82″.