(JAMAICA, QUEENS) - Sixty-two years ago, St. John’s University (SJU) in New York City became the site of the first major Faculty Strike in U.S. History - a year-long conflict that followed the firing of 33 Teachers, including three Priests, without due process.

Now, the struggle over labor conditions has forced the Faculty to once again mobilize, a move precipitated by the current College Administration’s abrupt announcement that it will no longer recognize two Faculty Unions or continue negotiations to hash out a new contract.

St. John’s President, the Reverend Brian J. Shanley, and Provost and Senior Vice President Simon Geir Møller, told the National Catholic Reporter the move was necessary to give the college “the flexibility required to innovate and deliver on our promise to our students.”

But Faculty Members, who had been demanding improved wages and greater transparency in how their share of health insurance premiums are calculated, call it Union Busting.

Sophie Bell, acting President of the Campus American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Chapter, says the Union was surprised by the February suspension of bargaining and the decision to end Union Recognition, telling Truthout: “This was my second time bargaining for a contract and in the earlier negotiation I felt like management was a real partner at the bargaining table. This time it felt different and I got the impression that Shanley does not want a Union.”

To Continue Reading This Labor News Story, Go To: Faculty Fight Anti-Union Tactics at St. John’s University in New York | Truthout