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Faculty members in LMU’s Department of Theological Studies called on the administration and board of trustees to return to contract bargaining with unionizednon-tenure track (NTT) faculty andrevoke claims to a “religious exemption” to recognizing unions on campus.
In a letter to top board members and administrators, the faculty members write: “LMU’s decision to dissolve the unions and to shut down their effort to engage the university in a process of reasonable bargaining is in fact an expression of…a specious invocation of the religious exemption.”
LMU’s administration asserted on Friday, Sept. 12, that it will not recognize or bargain with unionized NTT faculty, citing an alleged religious exemption from jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which governs collective bargaining for private employers. The announcement came after nearly 10 months of bargaining for a union contract between the university and NTT faculty members — who approved joining SEIU Local 721 by a vote of nearly 90% in summer 2024 in an election certified by the NLRB.
“Unfortunately, we fear that the decision to dismantle [the NTT] unions will not contribute to a deeper appreciation of our religious identity and mission,” the letter says. “Rather, it will further buttress the perception that any future reference to the language of mission only covers enigmatic decision-making and the ambiguous exercise of power.”
The letter ends with a demand for the administration: “In conclusion, we urge the LMU Board of Trustees to revoke its claim to the religious exemption and to return to the bargaining table.”