U. temporarily partially reinstates mask policy following faculty union objections

Yesterday, a New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) designee temporarily reinstated part of the University’s mask mandate, which requires individuals to wear face coverings in campus libraries, according to a University-wide email.

Antonio M. Calcado, executive vice president and chief operating officer, said the action was taken in response to the objections of three Rutgers’ faculty unions, the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers, the Part-Time Lecturer Faculty Chapter and the American Association of University Professors-Biomedical and Health Sciences of New Jersey.

The PERC order will also allow individual Rutgers faculty members to choose whether they require face coverings to be worn by students in their indoor teaching spaces, according to the email.

“The PERC order was the result of an action filed by the unions late Friday afternoon seeking to restrain the University from implementing and enforcing the revised COVID-19 policy announced on Monday, September 26,” Calcado said. “Certainly, our decision to lift the mask mandate was based on current state and federal practices and is rooted in science and data.”

The action by PERC will temporarily remain in effect until its members make a final decision after considering the submissions by the University and the unions, according to the email.

“The University is confident that its September 26 announcement was consistent with all applicable state and federal laws,” he said.