Nicholas St. Cyr at The Torch reports that after more than two months after St. John’s University’s Administration’s decision to no longer recognize the Unions during the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiation process, they have decided to take legal action. The St. John’s Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Faculty Association (FA) have filed Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) offenses with the New York State’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) against University President Reverend Brian J. Shanley and the University’s Board of Trustees. The Unions have played a role in the St. John’s community for 56 years, but their involvement has been challenged during the most recent negotiations that have left Faculty and Staff working without a contract for almost 300 days. They argue Shanley’s dismissal of Union recognition and decision to end negotiations with them is not only unlawful - but also goes against the University’s mission. “Father Shanley has torn up our Union contract, attacked the rights of our Faculty and unlawfully abandoned our negotiations despite fifty-six years as the State-certified and University-recognized Faculty Unions at SJU,” SJU-AAUP Acting President & SJU Professor Sophie Bell said. “SJU is abandoning the very values our University was founded on and our Faculty impart to students every single day.” Union Members also accuse the University Administration of aggressively threatening and targeting Faculty who attended AAUP-hosted demonstrations in response to the Board of Trustees’ initial decision. Apart from this alleged violation of Labor Rights, they also call into question the creation and recruitment of a working group to unilaterally change University employment without negotiation, while bypassing the Unions. 

To Continue Reading This Labor News Story, Go To: St. John’s Faculty Unions Take Legal Action Against Administration – The Torch