University of San Diego Nontenure-Track Faculty Votes to Unionize, a Campus First

Nontenure-track faculty at the University of San Diego have voted overwhelmingly to join SEIU Local 721, following national unionization trends in academia.

The ballots were tallied by the National Labor Relations Board on Tuesday.

More than 300 faculty members from the university’s College of Arts and Sciences, representing various fields from biology and architecture to theology and music, cast their ballots for the first successful union drive in the university’s history.

“After 30 years of teaching at the college level, I feel like this victory is well overdue,” said Eric Cathcart of USD’s Department of Environmental and Ocean Sciences in a statement.

“.Though we love our jobs, the administration should take notice: The recent surge in NTT union activities on college campuses signals that higher ed workers are frustrated.

“We call on USD to negotiate with us so we can have more time to commit to teaching instead of working multiple jobs just to earn a living wage.”

According to the union, USD has reduced tenure-track positions in favor of teaching appointments that offer no job security, low wages, and limited opportunities for advancement. The union will enable its members to seek better support and worker protections.

“Our union campaign was very much a grassroots movement,” added Deniz Perin-Coombs, an adjunct instructor in the English Department.

“We worked for over two years to form the first union in USD history. I’m thrilled with the outcome, and also not surprised by it, given non-tenure track faculty’s clear need for union representation.

“Now we have the opportunity to negotiate our first contract to improve the working conditions of the many dedicated professors in the bargaining unit.”

The vote came after what was described as union-busting tactics by USD administrators, including reportedly pushing misleading information about unions in general and the campaign in particular.

USD had previously asked to delay the election, but the NLRB rejected the appeal last month.