The faculty union at Bloomfield College has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the school, which is in the process of merging with Montclair State University.
Employees at the small, 155-year-old private college are bracing for possible job losses as they each wait to hear by March 1 if Montclair State University plans to keep them on at the newly-merged institution.
All Bloomfield College professors were told they needed to submit resumes by a Jan. 20 deadline. It is unclear how many will get to keep their jobs after the merger.
The college’s union — which is a chapter of the American Association of University Professors/ American Federation of Teachers — submitted a one-page complaint Thursday to the National Labor Relations Board, union officials said. The AAUP/AFT complaint alleges Bloomfield College has “failed to negotiate in good faith” with employees facing termination when the merger is finalized by June 30.
“Since they announced the merger, there has been only two negotiation meetings, and no meaningful discussion on the central issue of severance payments,” James Murphy, the faculty union president, told NJ Advance Media.
“Everyone is being laid off. There’s a new institution with undefined jobs. Everybody deserves severance, because getting a job at a new institution does not change the fact that you were laid off at the old institution,” Murphy said.
The union’s complaint names Bloomfield College’s president, Marcheta P. Evans.
A Bloomfield College spokeswoman defended how the college is handling negotiations with the union.
“Bloomfield College does not comment on pending legal matters with specificity. However, the college strongly disputes the charges and remains committed to negotiating in good faith over effects of the planned merger with Montclair State University,” said college spokesperson Rosa Mulryan.
Montclair State University and Bloomfield College announced the merger plan in October, pending several approvals needed by accrediting agencies and state officials. The highly unusual announcement of a merger between a small private college and a large public university came about a year after Bloomfield College officials said the school might shut down due to financial challenges.
Under the plan, Bloomfield College will be renamed Bloomfield College of Montclair State University.
Bloomfield College currently employs 45 full-time professors, including 41 in tenure-track positions, Murphy said.
All of the professors submitted resumes to Montclair State, according to Murphy.
Montclair will retain “as many Bloomfield faculty and staff as possible,” a spokesperson said last month.
“Some folks are going to find out they don’t have a job at the new institution March 1, so we’re very concerned that they have severance,” Murphy said.
A Montclair State University declined comment Friday on the unfair labor practice complaint.
The union’s complaint is on behalf of approximately 160 employees, officials said. In addition to the full-time professors, Bloomfield College also employs a fluctuating number of part-time instructors. It also has other non-teaching staff, administrators and part-time employees.
Montclair State University President Jonathan G.S. Koppell told NJ Advance Media in an interview last fall that Bloomfield College’s historic campus will remain and continue to focus on first-generation college students from a diversity of backgrounds.
Bloomfield College is the only four-year college in New Jersey that serves predominantly Black and Hispanic students, campus officials said. More than 81% of Bloomfield College students are people of color.
Montclair State and Bloomfield College are both located in Essex County, about seven miles apart.
The merger will require several lengthy reviews and approvals from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the state Office of the Secretary of Higher Education and other accreditors and regulators.
It will also need the approval of the state Legislature. Previously, the state allocated $12.5 million to Bloomfield College to help the campus remain open for the 2022-2023 academic year.
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Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.