DSA-LA Demands LMU’s Admin and Board Return to Contract Bargaining with Union Faculty

The Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America called on LMU’s admin and board to return to bargaining to negotiate a fair union contract with non-tenure track (NTT) faculty.

In a Jan. 19 letter addressed to President Thomas Poon and the board of trustees, the DSA-LA steering committee wrote: “As members of the Los Angeles community, we will not stand still or remain quiet while your administration engages in undemocratic and unjust actions against your hard-working teaching faculty. Union busting is not a value that will be tolerated in Los Angeles, and we will not go away.”

In September, the admin and board announced they would no longer recognize unionized NTT faculty, cynically claiming a 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.

“Higher education is under attack nationwide,” the letter says. “LMU needs to be a leader in social and economic justice, not leading the race to the bottom.”

CLICK HERE to read the letter.