The Rutgers Adjunct Union (PTLFC-AAUP-AFT) 2025 election begins Monday April 7 and ends Monday April 21. Results will be announced on April 23.
The election is being held online through ElectionRunner. On April 7, each union member will receive information to log in to the election website. Members will have two weeks, from April 7 until April 21 to vote.
This election is for all sixteen (16) seats on the Executive Board, including nine (9) Representative-at-Large seats and seven (7) Officer seats. The term for each position is two (2) years.
OFFICERS (7)
President: Heather Pierce, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
General Vice President: Hank Kalet, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
Treasurer: Bryan Sacks, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
Secretary: Howard Swerdloff, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
Vice President, New Brunswick: Shanae Burch, Solidarity Slate
Vice President, Newark: Beth Adubato, Solidarity Slate
Vice President, Camden: Austin Rooney, Solidarity Slate
AT-LARGE REPS (9)
Rachel Barber, Camden, Solidarity Slate
Caitlin Dudek, Newark, Solidarity Slate
Andrew Kennis, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
Arnold Lau, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
David Letwin, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
Thomas Raggio, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
Dan Sidorick, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
Luis Soto, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
Phillips Edward Young, Camden, Solidarity Slate
Candidate Statements
President: Heather Pierce, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
I’m running for president on the Solidarity Slate because I believe our union must be bold, democratic, and relentless in the fight for respect and security for teaching faculty.
I’ve served on the executive board for five years, including as a member of the bargaining team for our most recent contract, and as co-chair of contract enforcement for the last two years, fighting on the front lines to defend our contract from attacks and pushing back hard against violations and administrative overreach. I also currently represent lecturers on the NB Faculty Council and University Senate, and I’m finishing my second term as the faculty representative to the Board of Governors (the first adjunct to ever serve in this role).
The focus of my activism has been on lifting up lecturers—not only by enforcing our rights, but by building our collective strength and voice in the university. That means fighting for real parity with our full-time colleagues, for academic freedom, and for the end of contingency. It means closing contract loopholes and demanding a real seat at the table in decisions that affect our working conditions and our students’ learning conditions.
We’ve made important progress, but management continues to treat us as second-class. I’m running because I believe we can—and must—change that. With strong, experienced leadership and an engaged membership, we can win better contracts and transform the university.
I would be honored to serve my union in this capacity, and I ask for your support and vote. #respectlecturers
General Vice President: Hank Kalet, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
I am seeking election as General Vice-President on the Solidarity Slate, with a commitment to expanding union membership and participation and fighting back against threats to higher education.
I have served three years as New Brunswick VP, a time during which we went on strike and made historic salary gains. My role during the strike was on the picket line and, because of my background in journalism, to talk to reporters and members.
My primary focus is on improving conditions for lecturers, by encouraging my colleagues to get involved and to take leadership positions within the union. We have done that, and plan to continue working to increase involvement.
One of my main goals has been to expand on the relationship we forged with the full-time unit. I serve as co-chair of the Joint Media and Joint Academic Freedom committees, and as chairman of the lecturer Academic Freedom Committee, and serve on both the Joint and Lecturer organizing committees. On each of these, I work intimately with grad workers and tenure and non-tenure-track faculty to build solidarity and use that solidarity to protect all faculty and all workers.
Rutgers is under direct attack from federal authorities and we need strong union leadership to push Rutgers to stand firm, and not to cave in to the threats from the Trump administration. Our slate is both experienced and committed to keeping Rutgers independent. Vote for the Solidarity Slate.
Treasurer: Bryan Sacks, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
My name is Bryan Sacks, and I’m running for Treasurer of our Lecturers union.
I held this position in 2020 before becoming general VP, and then President of our union, the position I currently hold. I take the financial health of our union very seriously, and that will once again be reflected in my practice as Treasurer.
Being treasurer is a natural fit for the role I hope to reprise during our upcoming contract campaign – bargaining committee chairperson. One of my proudest professional accomplishments came during our union’s last round of bargaining, when our bargaining committee won historically large raises for Lecturers – above 50% over 4 years for the vast majority of us. I’ve personally heard from a number of younger Lecturers that those gains significantly improved their financial lives, enabling them to achieve things they were previously blocked from (like buying a home). Our recent member survey confirms this strong positive impact.
We’ll soon be bargaining again, and I will do everything in my power to push for whatever demands our members prioritize most.
I’m also proud that my tenure as president our membership has been a national leader in taking strong social justice positions, including the protection of our students’ right to call on their University to divest from companies supporting a genocide. I will remain a firm voice for justice on our board.
Thank you for your consideration of my candidacy. I humbly ask for your vote.
Secretary: Howard Swerdloff, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
I am seeking re-election to the office of Executive Board Secretary on the Solidarity slate; I wholeheartedly support the slate’s statement of principles, “What We Stand For.”
I have been union Secretary for the past four and a half years maintaining union procedures and records. I was also one of the lead negotiators on our contract bargaining team for the long year up to and including our victorious strike. Since ratification of our historic contract in the spring of 2023, I have worked steadfastly, as co-chair of the Contract Enforcement Team (CET), to defend lecturers from the administration’s repeated attempts to undermine our gains.
I also serve on the Adjunct Union Academic Freedom Committee; the Adjunct Union Organizing Committee; and the joint Adjunct/Full-time/Grad Media and Narrative Committee.
Now that the MAGA attacks on higher education have intensified the threat to our jobs, not to mention public sector unions, and the very independence of our university, it is more important than ever that we have an experienced leadership team in place. I hope you will agree and will vote to re-elect our team!
Vice President, New Brunswick: Shanae Burch, Solidarity Slate
I’m seeking the New Brunswick Campus VP position at this pivotal moment when we must defend our hard-won strike gains while worldbuilding. As the instructor of Rutgers’ first online, asynchronous Arts in Health course for two years, I’ve witnessed firsthand the power of our collective voice and the challenges we still face as contingent faculty.
Labor Notes 2024 was a revelation for me. It connected my reparative work in “healthful narratives” with the labor movement in ways I hadn’t fully realized before. I’m energized by the possibilities of culturally sustaining arts-based organizing—not just as theory, but as practical tools for building community power.
As a Black feminist scholar, I bring a particular commitment to faculty from the Global Majority and those navigating disabilities or chronic illness. Our union advocacy must center our voices, not as an afterthought, but as essential to “community euphoria” — our collective wellbeing.
What I offer:
- Strategic Collective Action: Creative approaches to membership engagement that meet people where they are
- Values-Centered Advocacy: A demonstrated ability to bridge different worlds and perspectives
- Inclusive Member Engagement: A commitment to transparent communication and healthful leadership
Genuine change happens when we create space for scholar activists to shape our path forward. My identity as an artist (proud Actors Equity Association union-member since 2016), educator, and community accountable scholar has led me to board service for a health initiative, academic journal, and church. I’m ready to listen, learn, and lead alongside you as we face the governing challenges ahead.
Vice President, Newark: Beth Adubato, Solidarity Slate
As a longtime Rutgers lecturer and union advocate, I am keenly aware of the peril we presently face—government cuts to funding will impact us all. Before this recent assault on our nation’s educational system, we knew we had more work to do. Stringent contract enforcement and health care are just two items on our agenda and we have a considered, purposeful plan to accomplish these goals.
Rutgers has played a significant role in my career. I received my doctorate in criminal justice from Rutgers University in 2011, my M.A. from Rutgers School of Criminal Justice (2004) and an M.P.A.P. from the Bloustein School of Planning and Policy (2004). I have been teaching as a lecturer at SCJ since 2005. I am presently an associate professor at Saint Peter’s University but importantly, I have taught in a few schools around the New York metropolitan area and have observed what works with part-time faculty and what does not.
I have witnessed how, at other institutions, part-time faculty are better integrated into the departmental system. This creates a more robust academic foundation for the students who, frankly, do not normally discern who is full or who is part-time; they only know that we are the providers of their education in its entirety and that includes both inside and outside the classroom. We can achieve this at Rutgers. Our students deserve the continuity of curriculum that long-term appointments of adjuncts provide them. The rewards of such a united educational front are potentially enormous.
Vice President, Camden: Austin Rooney, Solidarity Slate
I am running for re-election to the position of campus VP for Camden. As a member of the “Solidarity” slate, I pledge to uphold and embody the principles of democratic unionism, and I believe that through joint action we can work to end Lecturer precarity and exploitation at Rutgers and across Higher Ed.
I seek my second consecutive term as Camden VP and my third overall term as a member of the PTLFC’s Executive Board. Aside from my work in Camden organizing and attending to Lecturer needs over that time, I have also labored to improve Lecturer experiences across the Rutgers campuses by spearheading the creation of both the standing “Member Engagement” and the ad-hoc “Code of Conduct Revision” committee. I can also say with great pride that I served on the bargaining committee during our last contract campaign, and was part of the small negotiating team in Trenton that helped to win our major gains!
But our fight is far from done. In fact, with the threats to Higher Ed from the current Federal administration, it looks to be just beginning. We must fight collectively and organize as never before to secure the University and the future that we all deserve. We need leadership like that of the Solidarity slate to meet this challenge, and I look forward to being a part of it.
AT-LARGE REPS (9)
Rachel Barber, Camden, Solidarity Slate
I am running to be a Representative-at-Large member of the Executive Board. I have served as an At-Large member for the last two years and, prior to that, worked as a part of Camden’s Strike Team during our last contract campaign. During the two years I’ve been on the Board, I’ve worked with our union’s Department Liaison Committee to recruit and organize active union members across schools and campuses. For the last year, I have also served as co-chair of our union’s Organizing Committee and have collaborated with the FT-Grad Unit’s Joint Organizing Team so that we can work across unions to build power. Given the attacks that Higher Education and our larger communities face under the current administration, I believe that organizing is more important now than ever. We must work with other unions and with our broader communities to defend Higher Ed and to protect our most vulnerable students and workers. I would like to continue this organizing work through another term on the Executive Board.
Caitlin Dudek, Newark, Solidarity Slate
I am seeking election as a Representative-at-Large for the PTLFC, a position which I currently hold. I began my work in the PTLFC in 2023 by working on a committee to develop new standards for our current contract as it was important to me to participate in building the contract that would govern my employment for the next four years. I found the experience very empowering, and became a member of the board later, as we worked to get a contract adjuncts deserved through the first-ever Rutgers faculty strike. I have found the experience of working to represent other lecturers like me very gratifying, as the union has given me a voice and a community. Now, much of what we won in our last contract and much of what we stand for as lecturers at a major state university committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion is under threat, and I feel it is extremely important to not only work together to fight as hard as we can against these forces, but to continue and build on the work that we achieved in our previous contract fight to ensure all faculty, students, staff, and community members are treated equally, and with the fairness and respect they deserve. I hope to serve on the Board as a Representative-at-Large not only to fight against cutbacks and exclusionary policies, but to continue to make Rutgers a better place for everyone.
Andrew Kennis, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
This is an updated candidate statement that is purposefully meant to encourage our rank-and-file members, the lifeblood of our union, to consider becoming more involved with our collective plight as during these trying times, such activism is direly needed. Even if you’re short on time, there are some modest ways to become active which would help our cause in some very meaningful ways, some of which are noted herein.
As an at-large Board member of our union and a Lecturer who has taught at multiple New Brunswick colleges since 2021, I take pride in my role advocating for historic contract gains that have reinstated Lecturers’ pay to exceptionally competitive levels among public universities. As such, I am committed to working closely with fellow rank-and-file union members through outreach efforts like phone banking, as well as by actively participating in various union committees.
Last year, I ran as an independent candidate in a tightly contested election, successfully earning a seat without any slate affiliation. This year, I’ve decided to be a part of the Solidarity Slate. I’ve particularly enjoyed working closely with fellow Board members such as Austin Rooney (Camden VP), Beth Adubato (Newark VP), Hank Kalet (VP), Arnold Lau (at-large) and Ed Young (at-large).
As a long-standing member of our Media committee and a seasoned international investigative journalist, I am currently spearheading an initiative within our Media committee to revitalize our union’s newsletter but now, on a joint basis with our full timer and grad worker colleagues. If you’re interested in joining this effort, please let me know, as we sure could use your help!
As the Board’s sole bilingual member fluent in Spanish, it has been my pleasure to volunteer as an interpreter and translator. I am also the Board member who has had the highest proportion of online-based, sync teaching assignments and thus, I always try to represent the interests of us online-based pedagogues to the best of my ability.
A great way to first become more involved is to reach out to one of our most approachable union activists, Caitlin Dudek, who leads both our New Member and Async Teaching committees. Whether or not you’re a new hire, either of those committees are great places to start becoming more involved with our union.
Our successful merger campaign was sparked in part by early discussions I proudly initiated between the co-president of the full-timer/grad worker unit, our longest-serving union activists and our Board. A resulting range of joint committee work and increased solidarity continues to be integrated into our union’s regular activities, including my ongoing initiative to revitalize our newsletter as a joint undertaking as well as our joint Town Hall meeting recently organized.
In all these important ways, our Board and my continued service to the union remain committed to rank and file, democratic and social unionism, always standing with us lecturers as a united collective.
Arnold Lau, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
I am seeking election to an At Large position on the Solidarity slate; I support the slate’s statement of principles, “What We Stand For.”
I have been the union Treasurer for the past 2 years. In this role, I review monthly financial activity and follow up on discrepancies, forecast spend and reconcile vs budget, optimize management of working capital. I contribute my technical, social media, business, and research experience to union work streams.
The latest contract agreement was a good step forward in our journey to better our working circumstances. The current team helped to rally the union coalition and engage the negotiating parties bring about the improved contract. There is more work to be done to improve the enforcement of the spirit and the law of the contract. We need to address the attacks on our working circumstances as well as build to a better contract.
With increasing political pressures threatening higher education, public sector unions, and the independence of our university, it is more important than ever to have a strong, experienced leadership team in place. I hope you will support us by voting for our re-election!
David Letwin, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
I have been a Representative-at-Large on our union’s Executive Board since April, 2020, and am running for the same position this election.
I served as chair of the union Organizing Committee and as a member of the Bargaining Committee leading up to and during our groundbreaking 2023 strike. Since then, I have been a member of our Contract Enforcement Team resisting the administration’s attempts to undo our contract gains. I also serve on our Academic Freedom Committee, as well as multiple ad hoc committees.
From the time I joined the board, I have been a strong advocate for our union’s social justice orientation. I helped write, and organize support for, the “Joint Resolution on Divestment from Genocide in Palestine,” (which members of both the academic unions passed in December, 2024), and also contributed to recent statements defending campus protest—and our union—from politically-motivated smears of antisemitism.
The far right has targeted higher education as “enemy territory” to be conquered and controlled. Funding, job security, pedagogy of the marginalized, free speech and assembly, and the safety of international students and educators are all under assault. As Scholars for Social Justice have warned, “This is a national crusade to remake the university itself in the image of the current administration.”
Our union is a crucial space not only to fight for Lecturers’ “bread and butter” issues, but to organize, in solidarity with our sibling union members and students, against the broader onslaught on higher education. In doing so, we help build the kind of university—and just society—we want.
Thomas Raggio, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
I am seeking re-election as your Union Executive Board Representative at-Large. I fully support our slate’s statement of principles, What We Stand For.
As Co-Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee, I have worked tirelessly to advance the fight for adjunct healthcare, forging strong relationships with political allies who recognize the importance of labor rights and higher education. These connections have strengthened our union’s advocacy and positioned us to make lasting gains for higher-ed faculty.
My union work has always been rooted in action. From negotiating with legislators to organizing on the ground – I have consistently fought to hold Rutgers accountable and ensure our hard-won victories are enforced. I believe in a proactive, transparent, and member-driven union—one that builds power through solidarity and strategic organizing.
With your support, I will continue pushing for meaningful change – expanding our political influence to benefit labor, higher education, and strengthening our collective voice. I hope you’ll stand with us and vote to re-elect our team!
Dan Sidorick, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
Starting in 2019, we began transforming our union into a strong, member-led union, willing and able to fight for what we need and deserve as one-third of the faculty at Rutgers. I worked with many other adjuncts across Rutgers to help win our big gains in 2023. The next contract campaign, in 2026, will be just as important for us in a period when we are under attack by those who do not value education and the role we play.
I have taught U.S. and New Jersey labor history in the Labor Studies department for twelve years. Before working in the academic world, I held a number of jobs in different industries, organizing a union in one and acting as union shop representative in another. My research and experience have taught me that when unions involve their members in active and democratic locals and fight for a broad and forceful program, they can build stronger organizations and win significant victories.
I have been an active member of the Executive Board for over six years, and serve on the Organizing and Academic Freedom Committees, and I am one of the coordinators of our Department Liaison network. I am proud to be running on the Solidarity slate.
Just as important as strong leadership to the success of our union is the participation by members. YOU can be part of defending education and winning a better deal for adjuncts by joining a committee, serving as a Liaison, or helping in other ways. Solidarity!
Luis Soto, New Brunswick, Solidarity Slate
I am seeking election to the office of Executive Board At-Large Representative on the Solidarity slate; I wholeheartedly support the slate’s statement of principles, “What We Stand For.”
I have been a member or our Contract Enforcement Team (CET) for two years maintaining addressing contract issues and aiding our members with contract related issues. Since ratification of our historic contract in the spring of 2023, I have worked steadfastly to defend lecturers from the administration’s repeated attempts to undermine our gains.
I also serve as the Department Liaison for our Criminal Justice Program providing our members with guidance, information, and support with union related topics and issues.
Now that the MAGA attacks on higher education have intensified the threat to our jobs, not to mention public sector unions, and the very independence of our university, it is more important than ever that we have an experienced leadership team in place. I hope you will agree and will vote to re-elect our team!
Phillips Edward Young, Camden, Solidarity Slate
When elected to be a Representative-at-Large last year, I had no platform. I just wanted to get involved because I felt a debt of gratitude. The current contract for part-timers like you and I is the most favorable since I began teaching here in 1992! The union did that. So I wanted to contribute, and ran for office.
Since then, I have helped canvass for new members, revise the union’s code of conduct, participated in the Organizing Committee for New Members, and in the Academic Freedom Committee’s formulating responses to recent attacks on our institutions of higher learning.
I have learned a great deal–especially about the knowledge and dedication of my fellow board members! But unfortunately, I also learned about some administrators’ attempts to undermine that contract.
I believe my first obligation is to represent the interest of union members, particularly as it bears on contractual issues. I also believe informed, attentive members are aware that virtually everything we were taught was admirable about our country and form of government is under attack—which affects our conditions of employment.
Expanding the circle of those who enjoy basic civil rights and liberties is an ongoing struggle. We face a massive anti-democratic surge to reverse hard-won progress. Resistance will require solidarity, which is why I am committed to the principles and goals of the Solidarity slate. Please click the link. Read what we stand for. And please stand with us, to help us stand with you!
Slate Statement
Solidarity Slate: #respectlecturers
What we stand for:
- democratic unionism: expanding the participation of members in union decision-making and organizing;
- parity with full-time colleagues: a living wage, health care, and all benefits available to full-time faculty, based on how much a lecturer teaches;
- academic freedom: Rutgers management must defend the First Amendment rights of our colleagues and students, including the right to protest, regardless of immigration status;
- the end of contingency: Without job security, lecturers have no academic freedom. Without job security, our contract wins are threatened;
- closing loopholes in our contract: the language of “management prerogative” weakens our ability to defend the contract;
- union representation of all teaching faculty: the end of the “coadjutant” appointment exception; compliance with the New Jersey Workplace Democracy Enhancement Act;
- shared governance, a seat at the table in decision-making and advisory spaces at Rutgers;
- organized resistance to attacks from Washington on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and area studies: Rutgers must not “comply in advance” with attacks by the Trump administration over what we can teach; Rutgers must defend its independence;
- adequate funding from the federal and state governments: Rutgers is a teaching and research institution; funding cuts hurt students by undermining educational quality; stopping essential research harms everyone; the most vulnerable faculty should not have to pay the price of Trump’s war on higher education;
- solidarity: We believe that acting on these values and achieving these goals will contribute to greater solidarity with all faculty and staff at Rutgers, “wall-to-wall and coast-to-coast,” and with working people everywhere.
Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union 