New Jersey

Members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in New Jersey participated in a lobby day last Thursday to meet with their legislators and promote CWA’s legislative priorities. After attending a lobbying training, participants flooded the state legislature in Trenton and spoke with their representatives about the need to advance several pro-worker policies that would strengthen New Jersey’s working families, including the expansion of collective bargaining rights for local government and college workers, relief for local government workers from crushing health care premium increases and extension of the New Jersey Corporate Business Tax (CBT) surcharge. The members also attended various legislative committee hearings.

The New Jersey State AFL-CIO was the driving force behind this critical bill and proudly stood with Gov. Phil Murphy as he signed A-4772 into law. The legislation, the strongest of its kind in the United States, awards unemployment insurance (UI) benefits immediately to workers who are on strike or locked out if the employer hires replacement workers. It also reduces the waiting period for unemployment benefits from four weeks to two weeks if replacement workers are not hired and closes several loopholes employers use to deny UI benefits. The bill’s prime sponsors were New Jersey Assembly members Anthony Verrelli, Joseph Egan and Wayne DeAngelo and state Sens. Paul Sarlo and Fred Madden. 

The Rutgers AAUP-AFT Academic Worker Union represents graduate workers, faculty, postdocs and EOF counsellors. These workers have been without a contract for 287 days and are on day 4 of a strike. Their priority is resolving a contract that will serve as the foundational agreement for future generations of Rutgers AAUP-AFT members. 

Members of Medieval Times Performers United in New Jersey won their election in July. But management is fighting them at every turn and engaging in union-busting activity. Send a letter to management telling them to bargain in good faith!