Public Employee Relations Commission Temporarily Reinstates Portions of the Mask Mandate at Rutgers

Note: More recent COVID-19-related communication may supersede information in this announcement.

October 3, 2022

Members of the Rutgers Community:

In response to objections raised by three of our faculty unions (AAUP-AFT, AAUP-BHSNJ, and PTLFC), a designee of the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) has today temporarily reinstated that part of the university mask mandate requiring all individuals to wear face coverings in our libraries. The PERC order also allows individual faculty members to require that face coverings be worn in indoor teaching spaces.

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. Certainly, our decision to lift the mask mandate was based on current state and federal practices and is rooted in science and data.

Today’s action by PERC is temporary and will remain in place until a final decision is made by PERC following its consideration of the submissions by the university and the unions. The university is confident that its September 26 announcement was consistent with all applicable state and federal laws.

Antonio M. Calcado
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer