NTT Faculty Unionization Update and Contact Information Notification

May 7, 2024

Dear Faculty Colleagues, 

I write to update you on the unionization efforts of our non-tenure track (NTT) faculty. On April 24, I informed the faculty of the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, the LMU School of Film and Television, and the LMU College of Communication and Fine Arts that Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 721, had filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking an election to become certified as the representative of the NTT faculty of these colleges and schools.

Just recently, under the auspices of the Regional Director for Region 31 of the National Labor Relations Board, an independent federal agency responsible for enforcing the National Labor Relations Act, LMU entered into an agreement with Local 721 for the election of a bargaining unit consisting of NTT faculty from BCLA, SFTV, and CFA.

LMU is obligated under federal law to provide the Regional Director with a list of the full names, work locations, shifts, job classifications, and contact information (including home addresses, available personal email addresses, and available personal home and cellular telephone numbers) by the end of the day on Wednesday, May 8. As an NTT faculty member who is eligible to vote in the election to decide whether or not to be represented by Local 721, please be aware that your name will be included on this list. 

The union will also receive a copy of the list. As a result, you may be contacted at your home by representatives of Local 721 or the SEIU. It is your right under federal law to decide whether or not you wish to receive a union representative at your home. The law protects your choice to engage in this activity or to refrain from doing so. If you have any questions about your rights, please contact the Information Officer of Region 31 at (310) 235-7351.

Ballots will be mailed to eligible faculty members by the NLRB on May 20 at 5 p.m. Ballots will be returned to and counted at the Region 31 office on June 11 at 10 a.m.

The issue of union representation is of critical importance to every faculty member, as well as to the university as a whole. We urge you to be informed and engaged. I remind you that we have established a website to share information about union representation and the collective bargaining process. The website also features a secure, anonymous form you can use to submit comments or questions to us. 

In an effort to provide as much information and answer as many of your questions as possible, we will hold a virtual town hall on Friday, May 10, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. All LMU faculty will soon receive an invitation to the town hall via email from me. If you have questions, please make every effort to attend this town hall, and if you cannot make it and have a question, please use the form on the conversations website to submit your question in advance.  

Sincerely,
Tom

Thomas Poon, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Provost 
Professor of Chemistry