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On Tues., Feb. 24, LMU union faculty joined a delegation that marched to the office of Fr. Eddie Siebert, a member of the university’s board of trustees, and called on the faith leader to support returning to contract bargaining with instructors.
The delegation — which included the Catholic Labor Network and other social-justice partners — delivered a petition to Siebert, rector of the Jesuit community on campus, signed by over 500 faith leaders and community members demanding LMU to return to the negotiating table with non-tenure track (NTT) faculty.
Last year, the LMU admin and board announced they would no longer recognize or bargain with unionized NTT faculty, cynically claiming a religious exemption from jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). 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.
Later that day, faculty, students, and other supporters rallied outside campus and then walked over to a town hall hosted by LMU Provost Kat Weaver.
“The community has given you its feedback,” says Bryan Wisch, a rhetorical arts instructor at LMU and a 2015 graduate of the university who serves on the unit’s bargaining team. “Over 30 different student organizations have called on this administration to return to the bargaining table. Multiple departments, colleges have all written letters telling this administration to come back to the bargaining table. The faculty senate, the staff senate… There’s the community feedback right there.”