Rider's AAUP Chapter is committed to preserving the legacy and future of
Westminster Choir College. For up to date information on our efforts to save
WCC, ​click here: SAVING WCC
An Update on Negotiations
May 24, 2021

Colleagues,
 
We wanted to provide you with an update on our progress with negotiations with the administration for a new contract.

Read more here.
Pledge your support for the AAUP Negotiating Team to negotiate a Fair Contract
April 12, 2021

Several weeks ago the administration approached us about another extension of the Agreement. We made clear in our response that any extension would have to provide a substantial across the board salary increase, an improvement in our retirement plan, an improvement in support for scholarship and protection against lay-off. Their response was a direct slap in the face. A 1% salary increase (below the rate of inflation) the ending of the tuition subsidy plan for study at institutions other than Rider, no improvement in retirement, no improvement in support for scholarship, and no protection against lay-off.

We have informed them that since they are not serious about providing a fair package in exchange for a year extension we will move to a full negotiation this summer.

The time has come for us to draw a line in the sand.
We need your support to show administration your commitment to negotiating a fair contract by agreeing with the pledge here.
Materials from Last Meeting
10/15/20

Here are the comments from the breakout rooms and Art Taylor's presentation on Rider's financials from the last chapter meeting on September 22.
How to Request Stoppage of Tenure Clock Due to Covid
6/19/20

If you are a junior faculty member, who would like to request a stoppage in your tenure clock due to COVID, you can use this document as template for such a request. 

Once you have filled it out, email it to the Provost.
Ratification Results
6/14/20

The bargaining unit members of the AAUP have ratified the Memorandum of Understanding, dated June 10, 2020 to extend the 2017 -2020 contract to August 31, 2021.

AAUP Negotiating Team
Rider AAUP Chapter Statement on Racial Injustice
6/12/2020

Together we have arrived at a moment.

It is a moment when the systemic racism and white privilege that have plagued our country from the start must end.  

It is a moment that requires long-overdue actions....

Click here to read the rest of the statement.
Ratification Q&A Video
6/11/20

If you were unable to make today's meeting in which members of the Negotiating Team and the Executive Committee answered questions about the MOU on extending the Agreement, the meeting was recorded. You can watch it here. 
Tentative Bargaining Agreement
6/2/2020

We are pleased to announce that a tentative agreement for a one-year contract extension has been reached by Rider University and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). More specific details will be shared in the coming days, and while a formal agreement is contingent upon ratification by the AAUP's members, both sides are confident that ratification will take place.

We wish to acknowledge the willingness of both parties to work together cooperatively in reaching this agreement. The historically unprecedented nature of global events coincided with the final year of our Collective Bargaining Agreement, yet both sides approached our discussions with a level of professionalism and empathy that allowed for expedient resolution.

From the very beginning, our shared goal was finding middle ground so all of our efforts could be diverted to the pressing issues we face in reopening our University. With this agreement, we are now able to do so. Thank you.
​
Jeffrey Halpern, AAUP Chief Negotiator and
DonnaJean Fredeen, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

To see the details of the tentative agreement, click here.
A Message from AAUP Executive Committee
May 15, 2020

We wanted to provide some context and perspective to recent announcements and decisions by Rider's administration and the board of trustees.

While we are keenly aware of the global pandemic which affects our learning community, we are nevertheless committed to seeking fair compensation for our members and for ensuring that the university provides a safe and suitable learning environment for faculty and students in all of the university’s programs...  Read more here
Rider's Bond Rating Reduced to Junk Status
4/22/20

Moody's downgraded Rider's bond rating once again. See news coverage here. 

In response, Rider AAUP's Vice President, Art Taylor, wrote a  letter to the Rider News, which you can read here. He concludes, "The downgrade is a powerful public statement that Rider’s senior administration and board of trustees must stop the excessive spending on unnecessary building projects, end the disruptive actions which continue to impact enrollment (and revenue) and begin to run the institution with some degree of financial pragmatism."

Back in 2017, we sent this Open Letter to the Board of Trustees to specifically caution against the very actions which have placed Rider in its current financial predicament.
Kaiwen is Gone!
6/30/19

Posted this morning at a Kaiwen news site is the attached announcement of a Kaiwen Education Board vote, on June 28, 2019, to terminate the Purchase and Sale Agreement with Rider University.

We have posted in full the Google Translate version of the announcement, and have placed in boldface some of the most relevant text. 

Click the title for the link.
Deja Vu Dell'Omo
​2/8/19

In a meeting with members of the Rider AAUP executive committee, President Dell’Omo accused Rider’s faculty of ‘hiding in their classrooms’ while he does the hard work of 'saving the institution' from financial ruin.

He is wrong on both accounts...  Click "Deja Vu Dell'Omo" to read more
AAUP Leadership: More on the New Hiring Procedures
Jeff Halpern
​11/29/18

Rider AAUP outlines its position on the unilateral hiring procedures instituted by the administraiton. For more information, click the headline.