Rutgers University remained at a standstill on Tuesday with faculty and staff union workers on strike for the second day, a historic first for New Jersey’s state school.

After nearly a year of bargaining for what they called a fair contract, unions representing the 9,000 faculty and staff members of the university decided to walk off the job.

“I've been working at Rutgers for almost 20 years and I'm not even at the middle of my pay grade yet,” said Denise Delafuente, a Rutgers staff member.

“It’s definitely not for the money. It is 100% for the love and the service have for my students,” said Tatiana Rodriguez who has worked for Rutgers since 2017. “I don't want the students to suffer. At the same time, this is a critical point.”

Both sides met with Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday. The governor says there's been some progress but more needs to be made.

"There was a lot of goodwill in that room, I was actually quite encouraged by that...We have to get this done though," Murphy said.

Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway hinted earlier in the semester that the university might seek a court injunction to bring a strike to an end if one occurred. But a Rutgers spokesperson said Monday afternoon that the university will not pursue an injunction at this point at Murphy’s request.

Nearly 70,000 students across the three campuses who pay for a Rutgers education are in limbo. Many of those students showed up to class with no professor. The feeling is not much different than what students experienced a short time ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. Union leaders have sent out social media messages calling on members to show up for work.

“Right now, I'm doing three classes and two of them got canceled,” said Gabriel Caixeta, a senior at Rutgers.

Rutgers University is open and operating. Classes are proceeding on a normal schedule, according to the university’s website.

Holloway urged picketers to be respectful after multiple classes were disrupted by the protesters Monday, including some who were taking exams.

Caixeta said it’s very distracting for students.

“You don't really know what's going on. You don't know if you're going to wake up and OK, now change of plans,” he said.

“I stand in solidarity with my professors because I understand that the conditions they have can affect the quality of their teaching,” said Paulo Miron, a senior at Rutgers.

Holloway said if there is no movement toward an agreement, legal action will be taken.

The university previously said in a statement, “We are working hard to reach fair and reasonable agreements with our unions, but no matter the outcome of the labor negotiations, the well-being of all Rutgers students will remain our top priority.”