CONTRACT BARGAINING & ACTION UPDATE 

SJU-AAUP, 11/16/25

Contract negotiations

SJU faculty have worked without a labor contract since July 1 and university administrators continue to drag their feet in the contract bargaining process. On November 5th, the administration made only its second compensation proposal since negotiations began last March! This time it was a second unserious offer: 3% annual raises for full-time faculty and for part-time faculty. Amid rising costs of living and a weakening U.S. dollar, this amounts to a significant real wage PAY CUT for both full-time and part-time faculty. Additionally, the administration wants to deceptively overcharge full-time faculty for health insurance premiums, in violation of previously negotiated contracts.

Showing faculty power

Faculty must apply organized pressure on Fr. Shanley, senior administrators, and the board of trustees to show the administration that faculty do not accept their insulting contract offer. We need administrators to understand that it is not merely “stubborn bargainers” who reject the administration’s proposal. Nearly all faculty reject SJU admin’s proposal and we are organized and disciplined enough to make the admin feel it! Through collective actions faculty’s message becomes clear: WE DEMAND A FAIR CONTRACT AND HONESTY WITH OUR HEALTH INSURANCE NOW! 

What SJU-AAUP wants

In this contract, the SJU-AAUP demands 1) reasonable 3.85% annual raises for full-time faculty, 2) reduction in health insurance premiums compared to the previous contract and honest calculation of insurance premiums, and 3) pay parity with CUNY for part-time faculty (a 25-30% pay increase).

Upcoming health care arbitration

Administrators are refusing to provide faculty contract bargainers with vital information about how SJU calculates health care premiums, which is an “unfair labor practice.” The SJU-AAUP uncovered strong evidence that administrators violated previous contracts by overcharging faculty for health insurance, but the administration continues this practice. Upon discovering evidence of this violation, the SJU-AAUP and Faculty Association jointly filed an arbitration case to reclaim up to six years of faculty health care premiums, amounting to roughly $5 million. Nevertheless, the administration should not wait for arbitration hearings (beginning Dec. 8th) to provide honesty and transparency about our health insurance.

Additional background

Administrators frequently claim that the university faces dire financial constraints. However, the AAUP's detailed "Analysis of the Financial Condition of St. John's University" demonstrates:

• the university's healthy financial prospects 

• a decrease in the share of the budget that supports academic instruction

• lower faculty salaries compared to peer institutions

• higher top-tier administrative salaries compared to all peer institutions

• increased reliance on contingent faculty to teach our students

SJU administrators can afford to provide faculty with the support we deserve and ensure the institutional stability that students need by adopting a fair labor contract!

________________________________________________________

Dear St. John's AAUP colleagues,

A number of faculty across the University have expressed concerns about plans announced by the University for "SJU Online." We urge you to read the following SJU-AAUP Statement on Online Education Program Governance and Intellectual Property. It is long, but it is worth reading for guidance on how to navigate the important issues involving faculty governance and faculty intellectual property rights.

We also encourage all faculty members to talk with your Department's Personnel and Budget Committee, and your Chair, about online teaching before signing anything that might compromise your copyright.

All best,

Your AAUP Chapter Executive Council

SJU-AAUP Statement on Online Education Program Governance and Intellectual Property

July 26, 2025 Overview As the University seeks to create a set of entirely online programs, the St. John’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (SJU-AAUP) continues to uphold the AAUP National’s Statement regarding faculty governance for Online Education programs, the responsible pedagogical use of Educational/Research technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the consistent position on ownership of faculty-created-course materials regardless of modality. The Office of Distance Learning made a presentation to the Board of Trustees outlining consultant research findings (dated April 4, 2025) and a strategic plan for Distance Education (dated Summer 2025) which indicates, among other things, that the fully Online Programs will be hosted on a separate Canvas site, so that “ODE can control the experience and messaging” and give “access for staff to view reports and have insight into classes”  Incorporate AI to “automate…support for online learner” including communications, interactions, course design and support for students Have “subject matter experts participate in the Instructional Design process” Potentially adjust courses to accommodate a “compressed schedule” Such a strategic plan means, in substance, creating parallel fully-online-programs. For online programs to be successful, the departments and faculty need to be on-board from the start, trained together as a cohort (in using the LMS, and employing Online Learning best practices), and the whole of the program needs to take into consideration out-of-class experiences, such as internships/externships, specialized labs, etc.   The SJU-AAUP chapter reminds faculty, Chairs and Deans, that the Statutes around Faculty Governance and Departmental Authority are in play when it comes to educational content, modality, and faculty scheduling for programs. We also remind our colleagues that the Course Materials Policy, aka Course Ownership Policy (established at the start of Online Learning, reaffirmed by the Provost’s office during COVID, and hosted on the Distance Learningwebsite) asserts that “faculty members own course materials that they develop without substantial use of University resources.” This policy is in keeping with broader educational practices that recognize that the work of faculty in creating Course Materials is not subject to other ordinary University IP policies. The use of the University LMS, and the use of offices that support responsible pedagogical practices (such as the Offices of IT, Distance Learning, Center for Faculty Success and Development and Disability Services) are also part and parcel of the regular working environment for responsible teaching in the computer age, and have not been considered “substantial use” of University resources any more than using projectors, whiteboard, desks in a F2F classroom, or using Word/Excel, Teams, and proprietary Databases in our research. The SJU-AAUP is working with the National AAUP to consider how best to negotiate AI policies in the face of widespread copyright infringement, and concerns around privacy and data protection. For the time being, we hold that faculty should be kept apprised by the University about whether AI is built into the platforms we need to use to teach, and  offered instructions on how to opt out of AI.  All this is in keeping with the preamble of all of our CBAs, which says  “[Both] parties [“the Administration” and the AAUP-FA’] recognize that the broadest possible cooperation between them is essential to the successful determination of educational policy and achievement of educational objectives. To that end, the parties recognize the educational philosophy of the 1966 Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities of the American Association of University Professors” (the “1966 Statement,” p. v). This philosophy’s application to online learning was subsequently elucidated in the AAUP National’s Statement on Online Education where the “principles of academic government set forth…[that] the faculty has primary responsibility for decisions regarding curriculum and instruction, which include the technological infrastructure for all courses, whether online, in-person, or a hybrid of the two” (p. 57).  Greater Details “As with all other curricular matters, the faculty should have primary responsibility for determining the policies and practices of the institution with regard to online education” (2024 AAUP Statement on Online Education). As a faculty, we need to uphold faculty responsibilities and protections. The SJU-AAUP stance is that we will preserve our established rights and work together with Administration on solutions to problems that arise in online education:  (1) We uphold faculty input/governance on:            (a) decisions about moving online: Faculty departments should decide whether an all-online program is appropriate, and also have an opportunity to study the potential impact of an online degree program on existing programs. While doing market research is a necessary step in thinking about creating new online programs, it is insufficient as the sole input into deciding whether to develop an all-online program – the department/faculty knows best whether online is an appropriate mode of course/program delivery. The reason a program may have “no competition” in a discipline may be because it is not suited to online learning.           (b) timing of roll-out with training: If online is an appropriate mode for an entire program, faculty input on timelines for roll-out of the move to online is important. The department, Faculty Councils and College Curriculum Committees need to be able to advise and review--not just each course, but the overall program before it moves online.   (c) choice of course materials: While the use of no-or-low-cost course materials and Open Educational Resources may be encouraged since they are created with the express purpose of disseminating knowledge, decisions about choice of textbooks and other course materials is a matter of academic freedom for faculty members and departments.         (d) retaining full copyright: as more programs move online, we reiterate the long-standing policy that faculty retain Copyrights/IP over all materials they produce for courses, regardless of the modality.        Even if a faculty member agrees to openly-license their own course materials, under CC licensing the author/faculty member retains copyright -- the University would not own the course materials, rather they would have to honor whichever CC license obtains. Additionally the course owner and their department would determine how frequently the materials must be updated in order to remain current in their field.        The SJU-AAUP recommends that Chairs/Faculty get explicit, written guarantees reinforcing faculty copyright of all course materials.    (e) Course length: The decision whether to change the length of a 15-week face-to-face course down to 7 weeks online, in order to have an accelerated program, should be determined by the department. Such a change has pedagogical implications for the course itself, the larger program, and other programs linked to the course through interdisciplinary collaboration.  Use of University resources is essential to responsible pedagogy, and part of working conditions.   Online Teaching Best Practices: As departments and faculty prepare for online teaching, the use of resources provided by the Office of Disabilities, IT, Center for Faculty Success and Development and Distance Learning, and any other administrative support offices, are essential to ensuring best practices and federal compliance are observed. Such administrative support does not constitute ownership of the faculty course, rather it is the mission of those offices to properly train faculty to teach effectively online. Learning Management Systems (LMS):  Full-time teaching faculty across departments have different pedagogical styles, various student needs, and various discipline requirements. While Academic Technology platforms, including LMS, may need to be updated for security purposes, Faculty should have substantial input into determining the selection of an LMS and/or other educational technologies, and be fully trained before any new implementation.    Faculty members and students have a reasonable expectation of privacy/autonomy when teaching/learning online or employing online tools in an in-person class.   Use of AI in University LMS, Microsoft and other IT Systems:  Because so many technology systems are beginning to have AI opt-ins, and because so many LLMs/AI agents are still opaque about (1) how the data was trained, (2) whether training data was obtained legally, (3) how the AI generated materials are produced, (4) whether citations, if provided, are hallucinations, (5) the failure/success rates of prompt injections and agentic misalignment and other “insider threats” of AI that put Intellectual Property and Personal Privacy at stake, SJU-AAUP holds the position that the University should ensure that any new technology has appropriate “opt-out of AI” settings and advise faculty of the AI-option/settings for all University softwares.

June 20, 2025

Dear Colleagues,

Earlier this week, St. John's AAUP and FA virtually hosted Howard Bunsis from Eastern Michigan State University. Howard is a long-time leader in the AAUP, as well as a faculty member in Accounting at EMSU. He has a special role with the AAUP in providing chapters with detailed financial analysis of their universities as they engage in bargaining. Howard provided a detailed presentation of the current state of St. John’s University’s finances. All of the data that Howard uses for his analysis is open source, publicly available and, in nearly all cases, self-reported by the University. A copy of the slides from the presentation are available here:

Bunsis Financial Analysis St Johns 2025 updated for 2024 NCAA.pptx

The financial analysis reinforces faculty understanding of the University’s position. Although there are significant challenges facing higher education in general, and St. John’s in particular, the University has the necessary resources to meet these challenges. In fact, the best way to meet the challenges of the moment is to strengthen and support the researchers and educators that most directly serve St. John's students. Faculty are the frontlines of the university. We are in the classrooms and labs teaching students, in libraries, archives, and in the field researching, hunched over laptops writing and editing, and representing St. John’s at conferences, seminars and workshops. Using the University’s resources to support faculty is what builds student engagement and academic excellence. Strong stewardship of University resources means investing in the areas that have the best and most sustainable returns. That means stewardship of faculty (not hedge funds)!

We are all currently in the midst of contract negotiations with the University for the next Collective Bargaining Agreement. At the moment, bargaining is stalled as the University responds to the Unions' submission of an arbitration request regarding the issue of miscalculation of health insurance premiums. Initially the University demanded that the Unions drop our arbitration before they would make a counteroffer to our initial proposals regarding health insurance and full-time and part-time compensation. They have since indicated that they would return to negotiations if we put the arbitration in abeyance. The SJU-AAUP and FA are consulting with our legal counsel to determine the best course of action. 

Your and your faculty colleagues all want St. John’s to succeed and be the best University it can be. We all believe in the mission of St. John’s, we believe that our students deserve the best possible education, and we know that, with support from the University, we can help our students achieve great things. 

Best,

Fred Cocozzelli

SJU-AAUP Chapter President

PS. Here are some key slides from the presentation that offer insight into the university's financial ability to responsibly steward its commitments to faculty working conditions and student learning, and the need to do so: healthy financial prospects, a recent decrease in the share of the budget that supports instruction, lower faculty salaries compared to peer institutions, and increased reliance on contingent faculty to teach our students. Stay tuned for a member survey that asks what you think about how bargaining is going!

September 1, 2024

Dear St. John's faculty colleagues,

Happy Labor Day! It's time for your annual renewal as a St. John's AAUP chapter member. Not a member yet? Then it's time to join.

JOIN/RENEW

2023-2024 was a very productive year for our chapter. In August 2023, we signed a new contract with (1) meaningful raises for full-time faculty, (2) historic adjunct faculty stipend increases, and (3) a health care premium reimbursement. In the year since then, we received two grants from the national AAUP/AFT, expanded communications, held public education sessions on health care, and hosted contract issue listening sessions for all faculty in May 2024.

When we negotiate a new contract with the University this coming year, your support will make our voice at the table stronger. Please join or renew, and also consider becoming involved in our union. Start by joining us at our first AAUP General Meeting online on Monday, September 23 from 1:50-3:15.

To renew or update your chapter membership, please log in to your profile at the link above, log in with your email and password and follow the suggested actions on your profile screen. If you do not know your password, you can reset it on that page by clicking "Forget Password".

Please be sure to check your profile where it says "Membership Level" to see that you are choosing the correct rate.

For full-time faculty, we ask that you choose the membership level according to your appropriate rank. If you feel the need to contribute less, we ask that you choose the Base Contribution.

Current membership rates are:

$30 - Adjunct Faculty

$60 - Assistant Professor/Instructor (Base Contribution)

$80 - Associate Professor (Suggested)

$100 - Full Professor (Suggested)

If you have just renewed, or your chapter membership is current, then you should not have received this message. In that case, please contact rosenthd@stjohns.edu to get it straightened out.

Our ability to fight for a fair contract relies on strong membership. Joining the SJU-AAUP isn't just about paying dues, it's even more about showing the administration that we stand united as a faculty. Scholarship & Solidarity!

Sincerely,

Your St. John’s AAUP Chapter

June 21, 2024

December 29, 2023

September 1, 2023

Congratulations to all St. John's faculty! We signed our 2023-2025 contract on August 16, 2023.

See the full Collective Bargaining Agreement here (CBA 2022-25) and the revised Statutes here (July 2023). Both passed by a vote of almost 9 to 1 (509 yes votes; 57 no). 

The university is then required to pay retroactive payments for last year‘s raises within 45 days, by the Oct 1st pay period at the latest, but the university will likely do so before. Thanks for your support!

Adjunct Health Assistance

The administration continues to provide annual health insurance assistance to adjuncts who teach regularly at St. John's. Payments may be up to $1500 a year. Faculty must apply by January 31st each year. Here is a link to the short application form, which must be notarized. Contact Mirian Cepeda (cepedam@stjohns.edu) at Human Resources if you have questions---it is an easy process to apply.

Here are the qualifications, according to the Human Resources office:

(1) The adjunct must be a “continuing adjunct” as defined in the contract—see “Appendix C”, basically having taught two consecutive semesters.

(2) They must complete a notarized certification no later than January 31 of the year following the year they request the reimbursement. So if they are applying for academic year 2023-24 they have until January 31, 2024 to apply. The payment should be made by the next pay period, February 15.

Graduate Student Adjunct Health Benefits:

Graduate students are eligible for health care through the university at around $3600 a year---the premium varies from year to year: http://www.stjohns.edu/admission-aid/tuition-and-financial-aid/tuition/health-insurance. 

Anti-Racism

On June 8, 2020 both faculty unions received a petition signed by nearly 250 faculty, encouraging them to develop more anti-racist practices and policies. Our Executive Council, many of whom signed the original petition, responded with a pledge to improve SJU-AAUP Inc. as an anti-racist organization. On November 10, 2020, SJU-AAUP Inc. adopted a new Constitution which doubled the number of college representatives to the Council; added adjunct, contract, and equity representatives to the Council; and codified an online election system and online voting processes for chapter meetings. 

What Does a Faculty Union Do?

Our faculty union bargains with the administration for wages, benefits, and working conditions as codified in the contract (formally called, "the collective bargaining agreement," or CBA; and the University Statutes, which also specify many faculty working conditions). The CBA is typically negotiated every 2-3 years, depending on the financial outlook of our school.

 

Who Is In Our Bargaining Unit?

All teaching faculty at St. John's are part of our bargaining unit (full-time and adjunct), with the exception of faculty administrators like Asst/Assoc/Deans or Vice/Provosts, and graduate students who teach through SJU fellowships. Graduate students who simply teach as adjuncts ARE part of the unit, however. Finally, administrators who teach classes are classified as outside our unit because of their administrative roles and titles.   

Our Chapter's History

The St. John's University local chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Inc., is the oldest faculty union on campus, first organized in 1961. Its work led to the historic St. John's University faculty contract of 1970-2: for the first time at a private college in the United States, faculty collectively bargained for their employment conditions. Because of political turmoil during the early years of unionization at St. John's, the bargaining unit at the university is split equally between two faculty unions: the local SJU-AAUP Inc. chapter, and the Faculty Association (FA). Faculty members may join one, both, or neither, but all faculty vote on the contract after it has been negotiated for them by representatives from our two unions. Although the reasons for having two distinct unions are now simply a matter of SJU's history, rulings of the National Labor Relations Board since the 1980 Yeshiva case makes the two-union structure an important precedent. 

How to Join our AAUP Union Chapter

Click here to join or renew.

Suggested membership rates

$30 - Adjunct Faculty (suggested)

$60 - Instructor / Assistant Professor (base contribution)

$80 - Associate Professor (suggested)

$100 - Full Professor (suggested)

St. John's local AAUP members support these essential functions:

• Maintaining our website

• Running elections and contract votes

• Enforcing the contract

Our AAUP chapter will fight for you either way. Join us today so we can fight harder together!