I’m on Strike at Rutgers to Fight the Uberification of Higher Education
I’m a lecturer at Rutgers University, and yesterday, I joined my fellow academic workers in striking for the first time in the university’s 250-year history. Our fight against precarious working conditions affects the entire working class.
Rutgers employees on strike, April 10, 2023. (Norah MacKendrick / Twitter)
The faculty unions at Rutgers University have been on strike since 9:00 a.m. yesterday. On Sunday night, I posted announcements on the course websites of both of my Rutgers classes letting students know that grading, new assignments, and meetings with students are on hold until my union announces that the strike is over.
As a part-time lecturer (PTL) with no job security, it’s hard not to feel some apprehension — especially with the Rutgers administration intimidating strikers with the threat of legal action. But this is a vital fight against the Uberification of higher education, and we have to win.
Equal Pay for Equal Work
I’ve taught at Rutgers on and off since January 2016. For three years, I lived in New Jersey, and being a PTL was my only job. Today, I’m living on the West Coast and doing several other things, but the online classes I teach for Rutgers are still the source of a large part of my income. (I regret to inform you that podcasting and freelance writing are not routes to great wealth.)
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