In a Feb. 19 email to staff, university President Rev. Brian J. Shanley announced that St. John's would no longer recognize the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) or the Faculty Association as bargaining representatives — effectively ending collective negotiations with both unions, which have been legally recognized by New York State and the university since 1970.
The announcement came on the faculty's 234th day without a contract, according to a petition circulated by union members, who also accused the administration of hiring Proskauer Rose LLP, a law firm with a well-documented reputation for union-busting work.
"Withdrawing recognition from the faculty union was not something we did lightly, but it is necessary to be able to advance our organizational mission," said university spokesman Brian Browne, who added that the move would give St. John's "the flexibility required to innovate."
Faculty members were swift and pointed in their response.
"It's alarming to see the faculty's right to unionize and to bargain collectively being characterized as impediments to the future success of the university," said Lara Vapnek, a professor of history, in an interview with the university's student newspaper The Torch. "I would argue just the opposite: the unions are a source of strength for the university."
The unions' most recent contract proposals included a 3.85% pay increase for full-time faculty, a reduction in health insurance premiums, and a 25% to 30% pay increase for part-time instructors — increases union leaders say are necessary to bring St. John's in line with peer institutions. Faculty Association President Christopher Denny said salaries at St. John's have fallen behind those at comparable universities, and that most full-time faculty pay significantly more for health insurance than colleagues at other New York City area colleges.
The AAUP chapter also alleges the university violated previous contracts by overcharging faculty for health insurance premiums, a claim the administration has not directly addressed.
Beyond wages and benefits, faculty say the stakes extend to academic governance — and ultimately to students. "Faculty control over curriculum decisions and hiring is essential to high-quality education," said Sophie Bell, a St. John's professor, speaking to The Torch. "Faculty working conditions are students' learning conditions."
Bell also took aim at what she called the administration's misuse of the university's religious identity to justify a legal maneuver.
A rally and press conference organized by the St. John's AAUP chapter is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 25, at noon on campus. Organizers say the goal is to pressure the Board of Trustees to intervene and return the administration to the bargaining table.
"We all care about this institution a lot," Bell said. "We want to meet with the Board of Trustees and have a direct line of communication because of our shared concern of making sure St. John's values are enacted in the university."
St. John's, a Catholic institution founded by the Vincentian Fathers in 1870, enrolls more than 16,000 students across its New York campuses.
