Adjunct faculty at St. Catherine University have voted against union representation — the latest in a battle taking place on campuses throughout the country.
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) failed to win a majority of votes in a push to represent adjunct faculty at St. Catherine, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), announced Monday.
The result was disappointing to organizers, who said the university "stacked the deck against faculty having a unified voice."
"We continue to stand with faculty and students at St. Kate's who deserve better than the current situation," SEIU Local 284 executive director Carol Nieters said in a written statement. "We look forward to finding a path for faculty to come together in a way that can't be subverted by high-priced lawyers and corporate anti-union tactics."
Proponents of the move to organize say adjuncts have become the working poor of higher education, with lower pay and few perks of regular faculty members.
The fight over unionizing wasn't an "easy process" for the community, said ReBecca Koenig Roloff, president of St. Catherine University. "There were two passionate sides to this unionization question. Discussions were vigorous and sometimes quite heated."
But the debate was respectful, she added, noting she doesn't view the result of the election as a win for a "nonunion position, per se."
"I believe it's more so an affirmation of the way our adjunct faculty and university leadership have worked closely with one another over the course of the last year to achieve real progress in areas such as compensation, benefits and professional development," she said.
