Posts tagged faculty unions
Labor Watch: St. John’s Sues New York, Suit Against Rutgers Unions Dismissed
July 6, 2026 // The bargaining rights of faculty at religious colleges have fluctuated in recent years. The Trump-appointed National Labor Relations Board decided in 2020 that religious institutions are exempt from its jurisdiction, reversing an Obama-era precedent that determined employees who do not perform religious work at religious institutions, like faculty members, can unionize. However, religious institutions have always been able to voluntarily recognize and bargain with faculty unions, as St. John’s did in 1970 when both its American Association of University Professors chapter and Faculty Association union were formed.
St. John’s University says it no longer recognizes faculty unions after 56 years
February 24, 2026 // Asserting its identity as a religious institution of higher education, attorneys for St. John's University argued that New York's Public Employment Relations Board lacked jurisdiction over the university on First Amendment grounds. The university also said that faculty members were "managerial employees" of the university and "therefore must be excluded from any bargaining unit." The university's response further argued that the state board was "preempted" from asserting jurisdiction under the federal National Labor Relations Act.
Illinois State University, Faculty Union Reach Tentative Deal, Avert Strike
April 7, 2025 // Illinois State University and its faculty union have reached a tentative contract agreement, avoiding a strike after more than 13 months of negotiations. The deal was announced Friday evening, 10 days after the United Faculty of ISU — representing about 650 tenure and tenure-track professors — filed a strike notice with overwhelming support from its members.