Ask Governor Murphy: Can the governor help end the Rutgers strike?

The teaching staff at Rutgers University is on strike, shutting down classes for some 67,000 students at the New Brunswick, Newark and Camden campuses.

The unions on strike represent 9,000 educators, and while it’s not yet clear exactly how many of those teachers have walked off the job, many in-person and online classes are suspended, as well as grading, office hours and pre-planned events by participating union members.

Murphy’s office previously told Gothamist it’s not a party to the contract negotiations and that the governor’s Office of Employee Relations hadn’t found any legal authority for Murphy to intervene. But the governor called a meeting at his Trenton office for both sides on Monday, and those talks are expected to continue this week.

The teachers are seeking increased pay and better job security for those at their lowest ranks, including graduate students who earn $30,000 per academic year, and part-time lecturers who have to reapply for their jobs every semester, regardless of how long they’ve taught on campus.

We’ll ask Murphy: What’s his plan for getting the largest university in this region back to the classroom?

Tune in live tonight, April 11 at 7 p.m. — and ask your questions online with this Google form, tweet at us by using #AskGovMurphy, or call 844-745-TALK (844-745-8255) to join us on the air.