More staff unions at NJ colleges agree to COVID vaccine mandate

More campuses in New Jersey are stepping up its vaccination rate, as Montclair State University announced the state's agreements with three worker’s unions to add COVID-19 to its list of required shots.

No later than Monday, members of those unions must either submit proof of vaccination or submit a request for exemption based on medical or religious reasons, the university said in a written release on Wednesday. The agreements between CWA, IFPTE and PBA SLEU cover all state colleges except for Rutgers University, a spokesperson said.

Employers with unions are required to bargain collectively on all matters affecting “wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment” under the National Labor Relations Act.

Out of 18,801 students enrolled in on-campus courses at Montclair this semester, more than 92% have been vaccinated, the school confirmed on Thursday.

Just under 7% of Montclair students sought and were granted exemptions, based on medical or religious grounds.

More than a dozen New Jersey colleges added COVID-19 to their list of required vaccinations for students who returned to campus this fall.

Rutgers University was the first to announce in late March its requirement for on-campus students, while strongly urging vaccination among faculty and staff.

Both New Jersey Institute of Technology and Stevens Institute of Technology previously expanded their COVID-19 vaccine requirements to include students, faculty and staff by the end of summer.

Back in May, The College of New Jersey started talks with unions representing faculty and staff, with the intent of requiring vaccines of full-time, part-time and temporary workers on-campus, TCNJ President Kathryn Foster said at the time, while also announcing the requirement for students.

By late July, a majority of each faction of TCNJ staffers, both union and non-union, had complied with the vaccination push, Foster announced.

At that point, the school had received full support of at least one union, The College of New Jersey Federation of Teachers Local 2364.

Also over the summer, Princeton University announced that COVID-19 vaccinations would be required of all "employees and others routinely working on campus or in property occupied by the university."

Staff were able to apply for exemptions based on medical reason or a “sincerely-held religious belief."

As of October, no major religion has come out in opposition to the COVID-19 vaccines.

Federal workplace anti-discrimination regulations mean each case of religious exemption is vetted on an individual basis.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story inaccurately identified the union agreements as only with Montclair University, instead of the state.