the unprecedented strike at Rutgers is underscoring labor issues at other New Jersey colleges like New Jersey City University in the midst of an ongoing financial crisis that's caused cuts to staff and academic programs despite the desperate times Ted Goldberg reports NJCU and the union representing its workers have managed to avoid a labor action the administration at New Jersey City University continues to dig the school out of a financial hole after cutting programs and laying off staff they're running at an 11 million deficit for the fiscal year about half of what they projected the university is not going to wipe out its operating deficit in a single year the university has a structural fixed costs because it's built as a larger institution one that at its peak served over 8 000 students and now serves a little over six thousand the university is engaged in a a process of renewal we'll be 100 years old at the end of this decade and we're looking at almost every aspect of our ourselves when Rutgers staffers made Headlines by preparing to go on strike early this month njcu's Administration and teachers union got ahead of it and agreed on a memorandum of understanding it's a document that among other things encourages collaboration between people who run the campus and those who teach there the days have been spoken to rather than being spoken with are over it's absolutely the most important document that has ever come across my desk and I'm not over emphasizing that bill calathes has taught at NJCU for nearly 40 years he says the wide-ranging agreement shows that his school is serious about turning around its troubled finances and becoming a more accommodating School for students and more committed to its professors we're showing the governor's office we're showing the state of New Jersey we're showing every every one of our stakeholders that the union is on board with four key areas that this agreement represents marketing and recruitment retention years to graduate and job placement there's a shared understanding that there's shared responsibility when it comes to Student Success that you know it's not enough just to talk about bringing in students right it's about how we serve them interim president Andre cecibo says the state budget will play a big role in determining njcu's outlook for next year under a proposed budget from Governor Phil Murphy NJCU would receive two million dollars Less in state funds than it did last year although it's not clear where the money in the Rutgers deal is coming from Murphy publicly floated giving more money to Rutgers to help seal a deal with their Educators acibo says he's actually encouraged to hear that factoring in Murphy's active role with negotiations during the strike I welcome that and I think that the governor is responding appropriately in that office demonstrated considerable engagement and Leadership and bringing the party together for years and years this institution I believe has been deeply underfunded so I'm encouraged by the governors stepping forward and taking the leadership that he did in terms of actually establishing a type of communication there between labor and management we have a lot of students who come from Modest circumstances ourselves and I expect that as it goes forward that the governor remembering his own circumstances that he will remember how important this University is some representatives in the State Assembly have criticized Murphy's proposed plan saying he's picking winners and losers among New Jersey's Public Schools meanwhile njcu's Administration and Union will continue looking for ways to turn around their finances and keep their staff engaged in Jersey City I'm Ted Goldberg NJ Spotlight news [Music]