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Union Faculty at Loyola Marymount University Launch Strike Vote
Unfair Labor Practice Strike Authorization Vote Comes in Response to President Poon, Admin’s Egregious Union-Busting
Los Angeles — Non-tenure track (NTT) faculty at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) launched an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike authorization vote on Wed., Sept. 24, in response to the administration and board of trustees’ immoral announcement that they will no longer recognize or bargain with the unionized instructors for a first contract.
The 15 elected members of the Bargaining Action Team (BAT) unanimously recommend their colleagues vote YES to authorize the team to call for a ULP strike should LMU’s administration continue its shameful behavior and refusal to bargain in good faith. Voting will remain open until noon on Tues., Sept. 30.
“The admin and the board joined the Trump administration’s war on faculty and workers,” says Maureen Gonzales, a dance lecturer who serves on the BAT, which has negotiated directly for a union contract with LMU’s admin for roughly 10 months. “With this strike vote, we are sending a message: We are united and ready to fight back.”
In an email to LMU employees and students on Friday, Sept.12, Paul S. Viviano, chairman of the LMU Board of Trustees and CEO of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, said the university would stop recognizing the NTT faculty members’ union and invoke its “constitutionally protected religious exemption” from the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which governs collective bargaining for private employers. The announcement came despite a federally certified vote of nearly 90% approval from NTT faculty to form a union in summer 2024 with SEIU Local 721.
Since the admin and board’s announcement, LMU students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community supporters have condemned what they view as LMU’s immoral union-busting.
On Tues., Sept. 16, union supporters marched to LMU’s Provost Community Conversations event and denounced President Poon, Provost Weaver, and other administrators over their announcement about the union. Late last week, 10 Catholic theologians who teach or have retired from LMU’s Department of Theological Studies sent a letter to campus President Thomas Poon and the board of trustees saying that LMU’s position on the NTT faculty union is incompatible with Catholic social teaching.
As instructors and supporters have made their voices heard, the unionized faculty members’ story has gotten national attention.
“LMU can’t hide,” says Sam Goff, a lecturer in animation, and a 2011 graduate of LMU. “Every person I’ve spoken to about this, whether it be a student, alum, colleague, or community supporter, believes the board and administration’s position on our union is immoral and defies the stated Catholic and social justice values of the university. This is a self-inflicted black eye for the administration, and it will lead to dwindling support from students, families, alums, and the public if it continues.”
Goff adds: “LMU’s board and admin can set things right, however, by coming back to the bargaining table immediately to negotiate with us in good faith for a fair contract that finally gives us living wages, better job security, and the dignified working conditions we deserve. If they don’t, NTT faculty are ready to act.”
The nearly 400 faculty members in the union serve in the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts (BCLA), the College of Communication and Fine Arts (CFA), and the School of Film and Television (SFTV), and teach courses in various fields, including animation, communications, dance, English, ethnic studies, film, history, music, philosophy, photography, political science, screenwriting, theatre arts, urban studies, and more.
For decades, as part of a nationwide trend, NTT faculty at LMU have faced low pay, short-term contracts, and minimal opportunities to advance at the university. Many NTT faculty members work multiple jobs just to survive in the expensive Los Angeles region. The faculty formed their union with SEIU 721 to gain better job security, living wages, and the rights and protections that they deserve.
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The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 721 is one of California’s largest unions and represents non-tenure track (NTT) faculty at multiple Southern California colleges including Occidental College, Whittier College, Otis College of Art and Design, Laguna College, the University of Southern California, and the University of San Diego.
Learn more at lmufacultyunion.org