the historic Rutgers University faculty strike continues into day four union leaders have been meeting late into the night at Governor Murphy's office trying to hammer out a contract deal Representatives say there's progress with requests for pay raises Governor Murphy publicly stating he could offer more State funding for New Jersey's largest university but hasn't given details it's the non-economic issues remaining the sticking point keeping professors out on the picket lines and students out of classrooms senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports while picketers Walk the Line on day four of the first ever strike by Rutgers Educators students coped with canceled classes final exams Loom and then commencement in May graduating senior Farah Rove supports striking professors but she's keeping an eye on the calendar too from what I've like read it said that it wouldn't affect graduation I suppose it does oh that would suck I hope they reach like a solution and graduation doesn't have to be delayed for some International students timings crucial freshman James Pence already bought his tickets to fly back home to China this summer I have to go back to my hometown if like the test exams got delayed by the strikes then I'll be messed up my uh trips a lot of kids are kind of chilling right now but I think the catch-up after this is going to be bad you know it's like oh God we have a lot of stuff that kind of went wrong chemical engineering major is Shani devay's also got a summer internship with Pfizer scheduled I have exams next week and you know final season is coming up so I mean eventually we do have to get back in class the professors are not sure how the it's affecting the classes every day because it changes so far I um didn't have any classes and a lot of the clinicals because I'm a nursing student got canceled students say they're trying to keep up online and that professors do keep in touch but that often follows a long day on the strike line at all Rutgers campuses from Newark to Camden we could always keep in contact with the teachers through like email and they they seem just as supportive as they always were so they they answer your questions and they help you out online yeah of course they um actually make like group chats and like are a lot more uh Hands-On Union negotiators say contract talks are making progress mostly on financial items but that complex core issues like Equity are taking longer to resolve [Applause] Strikers picketed outside the homes of Rutgers Board of Governors members this morning Jose Piazza and Bellmead and vice chair Mark angelson in Manhattan in an effort to keep up the pressure they believe is driving negotiations in Trenton forward a university spokeswoman cited substantial progress during a long day of negotiations that ended at 1am today we will keep working until we have Fair contracts for all of our employees talks resumed at 11AM but some legislators joined the strike line to express their impatience this is an important deal because I think it'll be also a ground a ground groundbreaking deal in terms of fairness for adjunct professors moving forward I am disappointed beyond belief in the Rutgers Administration and the inability to make a deal without having to come to this kind of situation I'm really concerned about the students who are so close to graduation for some and finishing the semester for others and so what do you do you know people make plans for the summer to work and if you have to come back to make up the days I'm not sure what they're going to do with the students Rutgers President John Holloway had threatened to break the strike by seeking a court injunction he held off at Governor Murphy's request but a union negotiator last night said they felt quote an implied threat in the air that if we don't finish the job the injunctions are coming in New Brunswick I'm Brenda Flanagan NJ Spotlight news [Music] [Music]