All non-monetary issues settled at AAUP negotiations yesterday

Rider’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the administration made significant progress at yesterday’s negotiation session, resolving the remainder of the non-economic articles in the contract, according to both sides.

Robert Stoto, associate vice president of Human Resources & Affirmative Action and chief negotiator for the administration wrote in an e-mail yesterday that the faculty union also provided its benefits proposal to the administration. Stoto said that this “will be helpful to our team in preparing for in depth discussion
next week on all of the economic aspects of the agreement.”

Despite the progress made at yesterday’s meeting, important issues still need to be discussed, according to an e-mail sent to AAUP members yesterday.

“We still have in front of us the major hurdle of benefits and salary,” the e-mail said. ” We have the administration’s benefit proposal and they have ours.  The administration’s proposal will cost the average faculty member an additional $4,000 out of their pocket.”

Rider’s AAUP chapter will still be meeting this Thursday to update its members, and urges all members to attend the meeting.

Stoto said that additional sessions will take place this coming week in order to facilitate the negotiation process.

“Next week, we will also be meeting both on Friday as we have been, and on Saturday,” he said. ” This should be helpful to us in making significant progress next week as we did this week.”