William Gould IV, former chairman of the National Labor Relations Board, noted it “certainly could go a number of days and weeks unless pressure is brought to bear.”

Gould, now a professor emeritus at Stanford Law School, said there has been a “great deal of unrest” at both public and private schools in recent years because universities have moved toward a business model that has “squeezed the regular workforce by bringing in a new contingent workforce in the form of both adjunct professors and graduate students.”

“One of the reasons graduate students have been so active and involved is they find themselves victimized by this model,” said Gould, a Long Branch native.

“In a way, a kind of perfect storm is being visited upon education,” said Gould, whose most recent book, “For Labor to Build Upon,” was published last year.

Still, he said it’s unlikely Rutgers’ strike would go on as long.

“We’re getting near the end of academic year, when exams are going to be emerging, papers graded, degrees awarded,” Gould said. “There’s a lot of pressure here.”