(NEW YORK CITY) - Unionized Full-Time Faculty at New York University (NYU) will cast ballots through February 20th to decide if they Strike after 15 months of bargaining with management. Voting for Members of the Contract Faculty Union at NYU began on Monday (February 9th) - the latest step in an escalating first contract campaign for the largest Union of Full-Time, Non-Tenure Track Faculty at any private university in the United States.

The vote is being held less than two months after Rank-and-File Faculty Members delivered a letter signed by dozens of Workers to NYU Leadership saying they would ask Union Leadership to call for a Strike Authorization Vote if the University's negotiators didn't move on key issues.  

"Contract Faculty deserve and need a strong first contract, and we, the undersigned Faculty from Schools and Departments across NYU, will ask our Bargaining Committee to call for a Strike Authorization Vote in the Administration continues to delay," the letter said. "We commit to organizing our colleagues towards this end in order to reach a fair agreement." 

Jacob Remes, a Professor and Member of the Union Bargaining Committee, said the Union is now following through on that pledge against an Administration that “has been dragging its feet.” “We listened to our Members,” he said. 

The University failed to acquiesce to the Union’s demands in two bargaining sessions early this year following a month-long break in negotiations during the holidays, which led the Bargaining Committee to begin discussing a Strike Authorization Vote after a January 30th bargaining session.

Remes said the Union was looking for management to move on issues key to the Union, such as pay, protections for International Faculty and initiatives to protect academic freedom the Union has proposed.  

"And they didn't do any of that,” Remes said.  "The next step that Workers have to shake loose a fair settlement from the boss is to take a Strike vote.” 

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