What if There is a Strike (Or Lock Out) at Rider University and Westminster Choir College

This blog article that was first published in the historic O Westminster
paper published on March 28, 2017.
The contract Rider AAUP has now with administration is through August 31, 2017.  Right now administration is placing severe unreasonable demands against faculty.  Faculty made concessions fall semester, 2015 in order to stave off the cuts of the piano major from Westminster Choir College and about a dozen majors on the Lawrenceville campus.

Administration, in spite of contract requirement to recognize AAUP as the sole bargaining unit sent a letter directly to the membership with misrepresentations of the current negotiation situation.

The take it or leave it way administration is currently sitting at the table suggests that there is a possibility of a forced strike or lock out this fall.  If that occurs, Rider might hire temp-renta-profs to supposedly teach the classes.   There will be a strong effort by administration to pressure students to accept this replacement staff as the education that they have invested in.

The first thing to do for students is to learn about the issue. The best way to do that is to go directly to the source of the information, the leadership of the AAUP.  Students should invite these campus leaders to as many  venues as they can schedule to meet with students and fully understand the situation.  Please see  the AAUP letter to its membership for a current assessment of the challenging position faculty is in right now given administration's take it or leave it approach to negotiations.

The process of engaging the AAUP for such meetings should likely begin now so that students can have a better understanding of where the situation is at currently.  Through such cooperative engagement, perhaps efforts can be made immediately to pressure the administration to make a more respectful position.

There will be plenty of opportunity to hear the administration position directly from e-mails from adminsitration and various forums with administration that will no doubt be arranged.

The kinds of forums that will not be organized by the administration are with faculty - these need to be initiated by the students.

Once you are fully aware of the real issues on the table and the real circumstances, as opposed to those that might be presented by the administration, then you can make a decision to accept the replacement staff as what you have invested your tuition in or figuring out how to work with the AAUP to bring about a quick resolution  to get the true quality of education you invested in.
Look at who is by your side now to try to save Westminister.

Administration? or AAUP?
There is a common interest to save Westminister.
That includes the Westminster Faculty.