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Overview
Who are NTT faculty?
Non-tenure track (NTT) faculty are educators employed on temporary contracts without the assurance of long-term job security (tenure). NTT faculty primarily focus on teaching and service responsibilities, frequently carrying heavier course loads than tenured and tenure-track faculty.
When did LMU NTT Faculty form a union?
In Summer 2024, NTT Faculty from LMU’s School of Film and Television (SFTV), Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts (BCLA), and College of Communication and Fine Arts (CFA) voted with nearly 90% approval to join SEIU Local 721 in an election certified by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
Why did LMU NTT vote to authorize an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike?
We authorized a ULP strike in response to the administration’s blatant union busting. After nearly 10 months of bargaining with LMU for our first contract, the university announced on September 12th that it would stop recognizing our union—invoking a religious exemption from the NLRB.
How have students and the community responded?
Across campus and beyond, students, alumni, staff, and faculty are calling out LMU’s union busting. Supporters have rallied at events, the Faculty Senate passed a resolution in favor of asking LMU to return to the bargaining table, and ten LMU theologians have denounced the administration’s position as incompatible with Catholic social teaching.
Why this matters (impact on community/workers/etc.)
To NTT Faculty:
We’re 65% of LMU’s teaching force — the backbone of the university. But too many of us are paid poverty wages and forced into second or third jobs.
To Students:
When faculty are stretched thin, students lose out. Less support. More turnover. Lower quality education.
To Staff:
Raising standards for faculty helps raise standards across campus.
To the Community:
LMU is a major LA employer. Fair pay here means stronger families and neighborhoods.
To Higher Ed Everywhere:
Universities nationwide rely on NTT faculty. What happens at LMU sets an example for the future of higher ed.
How bad is the pay for NTT faculty members?
NTT faculty at LMU face salaries below the Los Angeles County standard for a livable income. The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles defines a salary of $84,850 as low income for its Section 8 Income Limits for the 2025 fiscal year. Full-time NTT faculty members teaching for the university core have salaries that hover at $70,000, with some at $68,000 and some slightly higher, putting full-time NTT faculty currently teaching for the core around $20,000 below the low-income ceiling. In SFTV, 2024 salaries for full-time NTT faculty started at a similar range ($69,000).
Part-time NTT faculty teach under more dire conditions, with healthcare coverage tethered to a two-course minimum each semester, meaning potential breaks in coverage when a semester’s contracted courses fall below that limit or when contracts are not renewed. Part-time faculty also have a course cap, so, as of August 2025, part-time NTT faculty in SFTV earn up to $29,604 annually only if they receive contracts for two courses in both fall and spring semesters. In BCLA, part-time NTT faculty earn $39,472 annually under similar conditions, with differing unit weights accounting for the salary differential between college and school. For all NTT faculty, signing semester and one-year contracts means not knowing whether they have a job next semester or next year, or for how long, regardless of how long they have been employed at LMU.
Resources
LMU NTT Faculty Logo
Social Media Graphics
Print Out Poster Graphic
Videos & Reels
Zoom Backgrounds
FACULTY QUOTES
“This [ULP strike authorization] vote sends a message to LMU’s admin and board: We’re ready to fight. LMU must get back to the bargaining table so we can negotiate a fair contract in good faith. We’ve garnered support from people across the Los Angeles region and the nation, and our students, LMU staff, faculty colleagues, and alumni stand with us.”
– Brian Wisch, Instructor of Rhetorical Arts
“LMU’s board and administration has lost credibility and severely damaged the reputation of the university. The only way they can set things right is by returning to the bargaining table in good faith with NTT faculty who overwhelmingly voted to form our union with SEIU 721. Only then will LMU be living up to its commitments to Catholic and Jesuit values, social justice, equity, and human dignity. If the admin and board don’t do the right thing, NTT faculty members are prepared to act.”
– Laura Huffman, Senior Instructor of French
“The admin and the board joined the Trump administration’s war on faculty and workers. With this strike vote, we are sending a message: We are united and ready to fight back.”
–Maureen Gonzales, Dance Lecturer
“LMU can’t hide. 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. 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.”
– Sam Goff, Animation Lecturer
Stay Connected
Website: https://www.seiu721.org/higher-ed/lmu.php
Instagram: @lmu_nttfaculty
Facebook: @LMU.NTT.FacultyUnion
LinkTree: LMUNTTF