Greetings,

As you may be aware, many departments are facing budget cuts in these difficult financial times. What you may not know is that this does NOT give your department the right to withdraw an accepted offer of reappointment due to budget issues.

If you were a Teaching or Graduate Assistant last year and applied for renewed employment, you should have received notice of your employment status on or before April 30. That letter should have informed you that you were either:

• Reappointed;
• Not Reappointed; or
• Put on a Waiting List, with appointment contingent on department funding or other factors.

If you received a letter of reappointment and you accepted the offer, the University has guaranteed your employment for the time period and under the terms set forth in the appointment letter. This letter represents an employment contract and cannot be unilaterally terminated by the University or your department. If you've received notice that your appointment has been withdrawn due to budgetary or other reasons, something isn't right--contact the AAUP-AFT immediately for more information.

If you received notification of non-reappointment, it should have included a written explanation of the reasons your appointment was discontinued. If you haven't received such explanation, ask for it--it's a contractual guarantee.

If you were put on a waiting list, you should have been informed of the reasons your appointment was wait-listed, e.g. availability of funds or meeting certain established criteria. The University must also inform wait-listed graduate employees of the number of TAs/GAs to be employed and the number of appointments offered. Updates on this information may be requested from your department, and must be provided upon request.

Questions? Contact me at taga@gsa.rutgers.edu or 908-720-3569, or call the AAUP-AFT staff at 732-964-1000.

In unity,

Elric Kline
Chair, TA/GA Steering Committee

Events This Week

GSA/Union Summer Social Hour: Friday night after 9pm, Harvest Moon Brewery on George St in New Brunswick.
Steering Committee Summer Strategy BBQ: Saturday, August 8 from 5–8:30pm in the sports field behind Voorhees Chapel on Douglass Campus. Come for a taste of the culinary expertise of renowned grill master Carlos Diuk, and more importantly a taste of union activism! Bring your frisbee or soccer ball! Please RSVP to taga@gsa.rutgers.edu so we know how much food and drink to bring!