North Campus Residence Hall, Roger Williams University – On Thursday, May 14th, frustrated staff and faculty gathered to rally against the furlough outside of North Campus Residence Hall, where a Board of Trustees meeting was taking place in the Great Room.

“It’s a sign of solidarity,” said Doctor Kerri Ullucci, a professor of diversity and equity in education at RWU. “We’ve already fought the entire semester and the fact that we’re not being honored right at the end of it is really disrespectful.”

Ullucci was one of over 60 people to attend the rally, which was represented by the National Education Association of Rhode Island (NEARI). NEARI members passed out cow bells, pins and stickers. NEARI Organizer Fil Eden led the charge with a megaphone. 

Ringing their cow bells loud and proud, the crowd marched around the backside of North Campus to the lawn and patio facing the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Great Room. Protestors held their signs high towards the windows, but the Board of Trustees closed the blinds to the Great Room so they could not see the rally. The faculty and staff were angry and made as much noise as they could. 

“We believe that these furloughs are illegal and that they’re violations of the (union) contract so we have filed grievances, we have filed unfair labor practices, we’ve requested to bargain. Up until this point the university has not changed course about these furloughs where they want to take five days of pay away from our members so we are here today to ask the Board of Trustees to stop the furlough,” said Mary Barden, NEARI Executive Director. 

NEARI represents the unions at the university including faculty and facilities members as well as the professional staff. 

“I hope that the Board of Trustees hears our members, hears their employees and we hope that they will stop this furlough,” said Barden.

Professor of Psychology Rebecca Distefano stood back from the loud crowd with her infant child strapped to her chest, who was wearing an RWUFA pin. (Roger Williams University Faculty Association)

Distefano said that she brought her child because “child care is expensive” and she also wanted to show that the furlough is not just hurting the faculty and staff financially, but their families and children as well.

NEARI Organizer Fil Eden led many chants including “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!” and “Hey boss you can’t hide, we can see your greedy side!” He also served as an emcee for rally, introducing the speaking program and calling up speakers from NEARI, Rhode Island’s AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) and UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers International Union)

“I want to let you know that today, everyday and throughout this fight NEARI will be with you and our 12,000 members to see you through this because this is wrong. I want to let you know that all of labor is behind you. Rhode Island’s AFL-CIO and their 80,000 members, our dear friends and my dear friends at UFCW. We in the labor movement stick together because we all have the same values and that’s about justice, fairness and treating people the way they should. Not unilaterally implementing furloughs like they did here and they’re cowards that won’t come out and talk to you,” said NEARI President Valarie Lawson. Her speech erupted in cheers from the crowd and boos towards the university.

A Roger Williams University Law Alumni and State Representative, Brandon Potter attended the rally and spoke to the protestors. 

“I know firsthand how important the work that you all do everyday to keep this place running is. I know how important this institution is to Rhode Island and I am honored to be here in front of you and support you in this fight,” said Potter. 

“You would be hard pressed to find many more depictions of wealth and institutional power all throughout our state than where we stand right now. So for the leadership of this institution to say that they have to balance their books on the backs of working people who make this place operate everyday is outrageous and it is insulting. It is outrageous and insulting that when we came around this building we saw this board pull the blinds down so they couldn’t see us. But you know what? I think they can hear us!”

Potter’s speech riled up the crowd so much that they started chanting “Shame! Shame! Shame!” at the Great Room windows. Potter told the crowd that as a lawyer, he knows that the staff and faculty have legal protection. 

“You have an unfair labor practice action filed and I am confident that you will prevail.”

The megaphone was passed around to many other speakers, including Barden, RWU Professor and RI House of Representatives member June Speakman, who urged the crowd to attend Friday’s Commencement where the faculty would be having their own breakfast. 

“This deal (furlough) was done in secret, it was done suddenly, it was dropped on us in an email. We had no ability to help the university with this crisis, if there is a crisis, as we have done so many times in the past. In my 30 years I’ve never seen anything like this, it is essential that we fight this. The furlough must be cancelled now,” said Speakman.

RI AFL-CIO President Patrick Crowley took the megaphone and did away with a traditional speech. Instead, he marched around the patio, yelling about the Board of Trustees. “Like the rats that they are, hiding behind those shades! Hiding in the dark! Making sure no one can see them scurrying around. Treating people like us like we’re animals, but you know what? We can see you in there, we can smell the sulfur. We can hear the evil talk. You’re not going to be able to hide from us, you’re not going to be able to hide from organized labor.”

This received a large applause, the ringing of cow bells and cheers from protestors.