By Sarah Price

BRISTOL, R.I. — The National Education Association of Rhode Island (NEARI) sent a cease and desist letter to Roger Williams University General Counsel, Rachel Nuzzo, on November 24, 2025, in regards to the furlough occurring in 2026. The letter was from Jennifer Azevedo, the deputy executive director/legal counsel for NEARI, warning the administrators of the university of the consequences of pursuing the furlough. 

The NEARI represents three of the five private sector bargaining units at Roger Williams University. Within the letter, Azevedo states that “the action taken by the University is squarely prohibited by federal labor law.”

The university hasn’t given any expectations for the “alleged financial exigency,” insinuating that the current financial troubles come from administrators’ high pay and poor management of the university’s assets. Moreover, the NEARI requires employers to bargain when making changes, which was not done in this situation. 

The University’s Assistant Vice President of Communications and Media Relations, Jill Pais, said, “This one-week furlough measure is intended to preserve jobs and address our small FY26 budget shortfall.” She added that at this time, the University has not instituted a hiring freeze during this time. 

The NEARI letter acknowledged that during the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown, the University did take the proper steps and fulfill its obligations. In this instant, as was explained within the letter, “President Miaoulis approached all of the University employees, aligned and non-aligned, from the lowest paid to the highest paid, to implore that everyone engage in a shared sacrifice to keep the University on firm financial footing for future years.” 

With the announcement of the furlough, the NEARI is going to respond to the arguments made by the faculty affected and begin to bargain over demands. If there is a delay in receiving information, unfair labor practices charges will be filed with the National Labor Relations Board. 

The letter states that no administrators or other non-aligned staff will be affected by the furlough. The NEARI understood this, as the union members, part of the NEARI, are seen as making no contribution to the essential operational needs of the University. 

Azevedo continues saying how the President received a 70% salary increase between 2022 and 2023 despite President Miaoulis missing benchmarks as the University continued to withdraw money from its endowment fund to cover University costs. 

University statements do explain that RWU faculty received a 3% wage increase on September 1, 2025. “Other union employees have received or will receive negotiated wage increases consistent with the terms of their collective bargaining agreements.” 

Azevedo ended the letter calling the furlough plan “utterly appalling,” and stating that it will harm employees who are already struggling with different costs. “In closing, I would urge you to advise President Miaoulis to reconsider this unlawful, and what is certain to be, devastating strategy to move Roger Williams University ‘toward a stronger and more sustainable future.’ Without question, it will certainly have the opposite effect.”

Stay tuned for further updates regarding statements from the University.

This article was updated on December 5, 2025, with additional University Statements.