Essex West-Hudson Labor Council Annual Scholarship Breakfast

This morning the Essex West-Hudson Labor Council had its annual Scholarship Breakfast where Pablo Romero, son of Professor Debra Saivetz, received a $1000 scholarship. He is planning on attending Montclair State as a pre-med student. Ex-Mayor of Newark Sharp James was in attendance and was asked to say a few words by Assemblyman Tom Giblin. Mayor James talked about "paying it forward," and announced he was doubling the scholarship for each recipient to $2000. It was an exciting surprise for everyone in the room particularly the parents of the scholarship awardees

Negotiator Emeritus Ken Brook Honored with Brick in Silk Walk, National Labor Museum, Botto House

Negotiator Emeritus Ken Brook was honored today with a brick in the Silk Walk at the National Labor Museum, Botto House for his work over the years as the Chief Negotiator for our Local. Joe Moore was there there to receive the certificate and say a few words about Ken who could not attend. Joe was a long time active member of the Local before his retirement and was the President of the Montclair State Faculty Association a precursor organization before our affiliation with AFT and becoming Local 1904.

Rutgers Part-Time Lecturers (PTLs) Deserve a Safe and Fair Return to Campus!

Sign a petition to end the cutbacks that have devastated students, university employees, their families, and communities throughout New Jersey. 

This petition calls upon President Holloway to put student's education first and adopt a people-centered, humane approach to managing this public health crisis. Over the past year, Rutgers has laid off 20% of its adjunct faculty (Part-Time Lecturers, or PTLs)—roughly 400 of its educators. PTLs teach over 30% of Rutgers classes and are essential to Rutgers’ core mission as a public university. Each semester, they teach tens of thousands of students, and are among the most experienced educators at the university. President Holloway has called Rutgers a “beloved community.” Aren’t its 3,000 part-time lecturers part of this community?

During this unprecedented health crisis, Rutgers should use its institutional wealth to protect its most vulnerable employees—those with the lowest wages, the least job security, and without the employer-subsidized health insurance that Rutgers makes available to other employees. Specifically, the demand is that Rutgers:

⦿ Rehire PTLs who were dismissed, restore course offerings and return class sizes to fall 2019 levels;

⦿ Send out PTL appointment letters in a timely manner so that PTLs can plan their classes and work schedules (June 1 for fall semester; October 1 for spring semester);

⦿ Give full and part-time faculty and staff a significant voice in determining how to safely and fairly return to campus, and provide access to the COVID vaccine for all employees.

Since the start of the pandemic one year ago, Rutgers’ administration has laid off 5 percent of its workforce. Most other public higher education institutions in NJ have agreed to a moratorium on layoffs, and no other institution in the state has had such mass layoffs.

Sign and tell President Holloway that it’s time to put students first, and demonstrate your commitment to quality public education and the health and safety of the entire Rutgers’ community.

Add your name to the petition, here!

2021 Becker-Keenen-Moore-Brook-Uhia-Waller, Yovnello, and Nunn Scholarship Awards

The AFT Local 1904 is very pleased to have awarded fifteen scholarships in 2020! Recipients were acknowledged virtually (via Zoom) at our Membership Meeting on Wednesday, May 5th, 2021.

Pictured above, from left to right, with top row preceding the bottom row, are scholarship recipients Sherley Dorcelian (BKMBUW), Andreia Resende (BKMBUW), Trinity Stackhouse (Yovnello), Jane Bastos (Yovnello), Julia Krampah (BKMBUW), Valeria Granados (BKMBUW), Deovionn Gaynor (Yovnello), Abbey McGovern (BKMBUW), Jenny Yeung (Yovnello), Mia Crider (BKMBUW), Megan Akdemir (Yovnello), Sasha Avrutis (BKMBUW), Maggie-Ann Aube (BKMBUW), Rashel Gonzalez (BKMBUW), and Jessica Vasquez (BKMBUW). 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 2021 Scholarship Committee: Carmen Reyes-Cuevas, Lisa Williams, Catherine Baird, Reginald Halaby, and Karen Mingo-Campbell. Also, sincere thanks to All those who provided recipients letters of recommendation for our students, to the Local Office Manager, Deb Corasio, for helping to manage the scholarship applications, and to the Officers of the Local 1904 for supporting the Scholarship Committee's award recommendations.

The BKMBUW Scholarship Fund was originally established in 1997 (followed shortly by establishment of Yovnello and Nunn awards—the Nunn award reserved specifically for students who are single parents). 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 who were deeply committed to the principles of collective bargaining and to helping our students who demonstrate a significant economic need. 

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 “other,” then enter “BKMBUW”) or via the Foundation, earmarked for “BKMBUW."

Congratulations to all fifteen 2021 recipients!