Congratulations to the 2023 AFT Local 1904 Scholarship Recipients!

The AFT Local 1904 is very pleased to have awarded nine scholarships in 2023! Recipients were acknowledged virtually (via Zoom) at our Membership Meeting on Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023.

Pictured above are our Scholarship recipients (top then bottom rows, left to right) Ana Rita Mateo, Omayma Jabara, Sophia Upegui, Joseph Giblin, Laila Garrett, Noelle Whitaker, Joey Staltari, Joely DeMonte, and Caroline Cook. Recipients are all undergraduate students in various majors, in good academic standing, with strong scholastic aspirations, and who have demonstrated that they would substantively benefit from the support of the scholarship as a resource. 

Our heartfelt thanks to members of the 2023 Scholarship Committee: Catherine Baird, Lisa Garrity, Karen Mingo-Campbell, and Carmen Reyes-Cuevas. Also, sincere thanks to: All those who provided recipients letters of recommendation for our students; Local Office Manager, Deb Corasio, for helping to manage the scholarship applications; and the Officers of the Local 1904, for supporting the Scholarship Committee's award recommendations. 

The BKMBUW/Yovnello/Nunn Scholarship Fund was originally established in 1997. The Scholarship currently honors Catherine A. Becker, James P. Keenen III, Joseph T. Moore, Kenneth H. Brook, Anita E. Uhia,and Connie Waller, all former faculty and active union members, as well as Nicholas C. Yovnello and Ellen Kearns Nunn, all of whom were deeply committed to the principles of collective bargaining and to helping our students who demonstrate a significant economic need. The Nunn award is  reserved specifically for students who are single parents.

Please consider contributing to the fund, including in another's name (loved one, etc.). To give to the Fund, please do so via this link (select designation of “other,” and indicate that the donation is for “AFT Local 1904 BKMBUW/Yovnello/Nunn Scholarship Fund”).

Congratulations to all nine 2023 recipients!

AFT Local 1904 Stands in Solidarity with Striking Rutgers University Employees

After 10 months of working without a contract, members of three unions at Rutgers University went on strike as of yesterday (Monday).

Representing approximately 9,000 workers, the three union locals on strike are: Rutgers AAUP-AFT, which represents full time faculty, post docs, graduate workers, and counselors; Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union-AFT; and Rutgers AAUP-BHSNJ, whose members teach at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences medical, dental, nursing, and public health schools. These combined unions voted overwhelmingly in favor of striking.

The strike--which involves contractual issues impacting everyone in the three units named above--was called principally to demand labor equity (better job security, a living wage, equal pay for equal work, etc.), for the more marginalized members of the Rutgers employee community, including adjuncts, graduate student workers, and others.

Officers and other Members of our AFT Local 1904 attended the picket site in solidarity with the striking Rutgers employees. Photos of the event at the New Brunswick Rutgers campus, below.

Top Left Photo: Rich Wolfson (AFT Local 1904 President), Irene Mulvey (AAUP National President), Tim Haresign (CNJSCL President); Top Right Photo: Alex Sperling (AFT Local 1904 Professional Staff Negotiator), Ali Sperling, Aurora Sperling; Bottom Left Photo: Grover Furr (AFT Local 1904 Member); Bottom Right Photo: Donna M. Chiera (AFT-NJ President), addressing the crowd

AFT Local 1904 Represents as Peer Unions From Around New Jersey Stand with Rutgers in Fight for Fair Contract

Today, hundreds of union members and students demonstrated at the Rutgers-Newark campus to demand that the Rutgers Administration and Board of Governors negotiate with Rutgers faculty and staff unions for a fair contract. Our Rutgers colleagues have worked for eight months since their last contract expired. After refusing to negotiate for months, Rutgers has recently returned to the bargaining table with offers that fail to address major labor issues including: Affordable healthcare, raises that reflect the drastic increase in cost-of-living, job security of part-time lecturers, and living wages for graduate student workers. 

Members of AFT Local 1904 Vice President for External Affairs, Bill Sullivan, and President Rich Wolfson (pictured here, standing in the shadow of “Scabby,” the infamous, symbolic, inflatable rat provided today by International Operating Engineers Local 825) joined with other union members and leaders from across all trades and sectors in support of Rutgers employees.

AFT Local 1904 at Homecoming 2022!

On Saturday, October 29th, the AFT Local 1904 proudly joined with other members of our campus community in celebration of Montclair State University's Homecoming 2022!. We were situated at our usual table--this year located on Chapin Drive--staffed by our Office Manager extraordinaire, Deb Corasio, along with Treasurer Mike Heller, Vice President for Internal Affairs Brian Abrams, and President Rich Wolfson. We welcomed alums and current students, members of their family, and other members of our community, and gave out AFT t-shirts, pens, pencils, key chains, and other various and sundry Union swag. Like last year, we shared important information with current students and their families about the Local's scholarship opportunities. Thank you to everyone who supported us--and it was great to see those of you who stopped by to say "hi"!

Photo Above, left to right: Local Office Manager Deb Corasio, Local Treasurer Mike Heller, Local Vice-President for Internal Affairs Brian Abrams

Photo Above, left to right: Three family and friends of MSU Director of Academic Personnel and Technology Services at Academic Affairs Mary Colon

Photo Above, left to right: Local Office Manager Deb Corasio, alum and past Local Member Andy Fagioli, current Local Member Nicole Fleming, alum and past Local Member Stacy Albanese Fagioli