LMU faculty union calls strike vote after university says it has 'religious exemption' from organized labor

Untenured faculty at Loyola Marymount University launched an unfair labor practice strike authorization vote this week following the school’s announcement that it will no longer recognize or bargain with the faculty union for a first contract.

The union had been negotiating for a contract with LMU’s administration for about 10 months. Then, in mid-September, campus leaders announced that LMU is invoking a religious exemption from the National Labor Relations Board’s jurisdiction. The board oversees unionization efforts and protects the rights of private sector employees.

Listen • 17:35

Listen • 17:35

Imperfect Paradise: How union organizing is being upended by private universities in Southern California

Colleges like the University of Southern California and Loyola Marymount University are trying different tactics to push back against new labor unions. What does it mean for unions at universities — and beyond— in the long term?

In an email, campus spokesperson Griff McNerney said the union “has no standing” and that the university "is disappointed by [the strike vote] because it risks disrupting the continuity of instruction and the student experience."

Faculty who are not on the tenure track say they face low wages and no job security, due in part to short-term contracts. A host of non-tenured faculty unions and graduate student unions have begun organizing in Southern California over the last few years for similar reasons.

Bryan Wisch, a rhetorical arts instructor, said LMU’s decision is “a betrayal of the faculty” and “a betrayal of the mission and values of this university, which purports to follow Jesuit values and Catholic social teaching.”

In a video, school President Thomas Poon said invoking the religious exemption “safeguards [the school’s] autonomy to carry out [its] mission, without a third party that may not share our values.” He also said the union’s proposals were “financially unsustainable” and could have led to a reduction in services for students.

Wisch, who is an LMU alumnus, said he and fellow union members “expected the university to negotiate us down . . . They have just refused to bargain in good faith.”

Voting on the strike authorization will close at noon Tuesday, Sept. 30.