(NEW YORK CITY) - St. John’s University (SJU) has escalated an on-going fight against its Faculty Union by going into Federal Court to sue the New York State Labor Board in order to evade the basic tenets of State Labor Law on religious grounds. The two SJU Chapters of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) have been fighting for survival for the past four months after University leadership abruptly revoked recognition of the Unions that represent more than 1,100 Faculty Members - and broke off negotiations for a new contract in February. The Union responded by filing charges with the State Public Employees Relations Board (PERB) in April that allege the University violated State Labor Law when it unilaterally ceased recognizing the Union and engaged in a pattern of illegal surveillance and intimidation of Union Members. The Union called the lawsuit another form of Union Busting. “We remain steadfast and this is just one more instance where now our employer wants to sue the State Labor Board to bust the Union,” SJU/AAUP President Sophie Bell said. “We think it’s dangerous behavior. It’s an affront to Workers’ Rights and Catholic values on every level.”

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