loyola Marymount University reverses Course on Faculty Unionization Afterโค Raises
Loyola Marymount University โ(LMU) โขhas shifted โits position โคregarding a faculty unionization effort, announcing it will voluntarily recognize theโฃ union afterโ months of opposing the move. This reversal comes after the university implemented โขsalary and โmerit wage increases for non-tenure-track faculty averaging 7.8%, retroactive to August.
LMU Provost Lynne Weaver stated the university is โalso “expanding full-time positions, strengthening contracts and promotion pathways,” and emphasized โthat respecting workers and theirโ rights is compatible with the university’s governance.
The decision is notable given the complex relationship between Catholic universities and labor โฃunions. While manyโ Catholicโค institutions embrace the Church’s historicalโ support for organizedโ labor – exemplified by Pope Leoโฃ XIII’s 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which defended workers’ rights and unions – others resist unionization efforts. โฃ
William A. Herbert, executive directorโข of the National Center for the Study ofโค Collective Bargaining in โขHigher Education and theโข Professions at Hunter Collage, City University of New โYork, described LMU’s change of heart as “peculiar,” questioning the motivations behind โคthe initial opposition. He โคsuggested the university’s โconcerns may not stemโข from religiousโ liberty, โbut rather a desire toโ avoid collective bargaining.
However, Joshua D. Nadreau, an attorney with Fisherโ phillips, cautioned that the underlying motivation may not be legallyโค notable, citing recent NLRB decisions thatโ have often favored universities in thes disputes.He expressed skepticism about the likelihood of triumphant legal challenges.
despite the historical support for unions within Catholic socialโค teaching, a 1979 Supreme Court decision established a precedent for โฃlimiting the National Labor Relations Board’s โ(NLRB) authority over โฃreligious institutions, citingโ potential First Amendment concerns โregarding religiousโ freedom.
Subsequent rulings have focused on defining the criteria for determining whether a school qualifies asโค a religious institutionโข and whether the NLRB can intervene in casesโข involvingโค employees โnot directlyโ involvedโ in the institution’sโค religious mission. Recent โcourt decisions โhave further narrowed โthe NLRB’s reach.
In 2020, โฃa U.S. Court of Appeals blocked the NLRB from requiring Duquesne University to recognize an adjunct faculty union, citing concerns about intrusive inquiries into the university’s religious practices. Similarly, in 2024,โ the NLRB sided with St. Leo University in Florida, โallowingโ it to withdraw recognition from its 44-year-old faculty union.
According to a 2024 report byโ the Catholic Labor Network, approximately 600 Catholic institutionsโ in the U.S., including universities and hospitals,โ currently have unionized workforces.