New Jersey’s 14th legislative district is situated in close proximity to Rutgers University’s New Brunswick campus. Consequently, the current strike by Rutgers University employees is having a disproportionate impact on many families in the district with students just a few weeks away from concluding the spring semester or graduating college.

Today, Adam J. Elias, candidate for the General Assembly in the 14th legislative district, called on Governor Murphy to take more deliberate steps to end the strike and get faculty back to work with their students.

“I have spent the past few days speaking to parents and students from Monroe to Hamilton who are just as baffled as I am by the ongoing strike at Rutgers. Many students are still recovering from irreparable learning loss and mental health issues caused by the Governor’s policy of pandering to the New Jersey Education Association during the pandemic. Now, once again, our students are helpless as they watch their educational needs take a backseat to another round of political tap dancing by the Murphy Administration.”

“Leadership means taking bold action and making difficult decisions, sometimes at the cost of hurting your friends. The Governor would rather take the easy way out and fund a settlement with more state aid, while school districts like Robbinsville are facing imminent layoffs of more than 26 teachers. Murphy had no problem flexing his executive authority to punish small business owners who defied his lockdown orders during the pandemic. It is time for him to flex his authority once again and prioritize our students over his progressive political ambitions.”

Adam J. Elias is a former prosecutor, small business owner and alumnus of Rutgers University, graduating from Rutgers College in 2010 and Rutgers School of Law in 2013. Adam resides in Monroe Township with his wife and their three young children.
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