St. John’s faces unfair labor practice charge after cutting ties with unions
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St. John’s union chapters of the American Association of University Professors and the Faculty Association filed an unfair labor practice charge against the university. Photo via St. John’s University chapter of the American Association of University Professors
By Noah Powelson
St. John’s University is facing a new allegation from two faculty unions the school cut ties with earlier this year, escalating a labor conflict the university has already faced repeated criticism for.
St. John’s union chapters of the American Association of University Professors and the Faculty Association filed an unfair labor practice charge on Wednesday with New York State’s Public Employment Relations Board against the university's president, provost and the Board of Trustees. The labor action comes after university president, Reverend Brian J. Shanley, announced last February that the Catholic university would no longer recognize the two unions that had previously represented faculty for over five decades.
In the months following the separation, union representatives accused St. John’s administration of targeting and threatening faculty union leaders and members. The unions alleged on Wednesday that the school surveilled and recorded faculty who participated in union-related activities, and solicited faculty to join a working group to unilaterally change the terms and conditions of employment without negotiations.
A union rally outside Madison Square Garden that took place in March, calling on the university to resume labor contract negotiations. Photo courtesy of SJU-AAUP
In doing so, the unions allege, the school has violated state labor laws under the State Employment Relations Act, which guarantees certain protections to collective bargaining.
The unions further allege sweeping changes to faculty terms and conditions of employment, including changing courseloads and stipends for faculty responsibilities.
“Father Shanley has torn up our union contract, attacked the rights of our faculty, and unlawfully abandoned our negotiations despite fifty-six years as the state-certified and university-recognized faculty unions at SJU,” Sophie Bell, SJU-AAUP acting president and SJU professor, said in a statement. “SJU is abandoning the very values our university was founded on and our faculty impart to students every single day.”
Brian Browne, a spokesperson for St. John’s University, declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.
“Because this matter is the subject of pending litigation, the University is unable to comment at this time,” Brown said in a statement to the Eagle.
St. John’s first notified faculty and student leaders of the decision to not recognize their two faculty unions – which represented faculty for the past 56 years – after negotiations over a new labor contract stalled for months. Contract negotiations had been ongoing since February 2025, and faculty had been working without a labor contract since June 2025.
University administration said the decision to cut ties, which was announced on Feb 19, 2026, was a matter of practicality, stating the traditional labor bargaining framework interfered with their operations and communications with faculty.
The move drew immediate widespread criticism from labor advocates both within and outside St. John’s, as well as several elected officials.
Over 300 students, faculty, and outside labor advocates protested outside the Peter J. Tobin College of Business when the news first broke, and a petition which called on the school to reverse the decision accumulated 2,092 signatures before reportedly being delivered to Shanley.
Not long after, on March 11, SJU-AAUP members held a rally outside Madison Square Garden while SJU’s basketball team played in the Big East Tournament, calling on Shanley and the administration to return to the bargaining table.
Several elected officials also moved quickly to condemn the university’s decision, including former City Comptroller Brad Lander. Lander, who is currently running for the 10th Congressional District, stood by union members during the Madison Square Garden rally and accused the university’s decision of being politically motivated.
“This is a betrayal of the values of St. John’s University. And it is, of course, a very dangerous canary in the coalmine at this moment of five alarm fire for our democracy,” Lander said. “This is using a moment of authoritarian pressure to undermine the values of your own institution for small minded, narrow purposes that will not serve your institution, will not serve the broader values of higher education, Catholic higher education, and will not serve American democracy.”
On March 20, Queens Reps. Grace Meng and Gregory Meeks wrote an open letter directly to Shanley, calling on the university to resume contract negotiations.
“This move by the SJU administration is deeply concerning and should not have happened,” Meng said in a statement. “It is an attack on workers’ rights, and I stand with the unions during this challenging and unfortunate time. I continue to support their efforts to negotiate a fair contract and I'll continue calling for this decision to be reversed.”
Meeks likewise said he was disappointed to hear St. John’s cut ties with the faculty unions.
“Educators deserve a meaningful voice in the decisions that shape their classrooms and students,” Meeks said in a statement. “I hope SJU will reconsider their decision and engage in a constructive dialogue moving forward.”
