California State University skilled workers kept up pressure on administrators this summer over contractually promised raises, while the New York attorney general asked a federal court to dismiss St. John’s University’s lawsuit over its labor dispute with two faculty unions. The developments show labor fights continuing at public and private campuses as the academic year begins.
Key facts
- CSU Teamsters said the system should fund contractually promised raises that they say were due in July 2025.
- Teamsters at Cal State Long Beach and Cal State LA held rallies in August during student move-in, convocation and welcome-week events.
- The New York attorney general urged a federal court to dismiss St. John’s University’s lawsuit while proceedings continue before the New York Public Employment Relations Board.
- St. John’s withdrew recognition of its two 56-year-old faculty unions in February.
- The university and the unions are in conflict over unfair labor practice charges and the board’s handling of those charges.
What does this mean for students and campuses?
For students, these disputes can shape campus life in visible ways, from rallies at move-in and welcome-week events to uncertainty over labor relations and governance. At CSU, the unions say promised raises for workers remain unresolved; at St. John’s, the legal fight centers on whether the university can end recognition of long-standing faculty unions while charges are pending.
Why are CSU Teamsters still pressing the system?
The CSU Teamsters said the system has not funded raises they believe were contractually promised for July 2025. According to the union, only campus presidents and senior executives received raises in 2025. The union represents 27,000 workers, and members at Cal State Long Beach and Cal State LA used summer events to make their demands visible.
What is the dispute between St. John’s and the New York attorney general?
The attorney general’s office wants the federal court to stay out of St. John’s case while the matter is still pending before the New York Public Employment Relations Board. The university withdrew recognition of its two faculty unions in February, and those unions later filed unfair labor practice charges. St. John’s then sued the board and sought to stop it from processing the charges.
In its filing, the attorney general’s office said precedent requires the federal court to avoid interfering with ongoing board proceedings and argued the university’s claimed harm is hypothetical. St. John’s President Brian Shanley said the university needed flexibility to carry out its Catholic-centered mission.
What else is happening in campus labor fights?
Other unions are also pushing contract talks forward as fall begins. University of Illinois Chicago’s faculty union asked for mediation after seven months of bargaining, and management agreed. At the University of Oregon, the university sought state mediation after roughly six months of bargaining, with the graduate employees’ union accusing management of stall tactics. At Hofstra University, faculty avoided a planned strike after the university and its faculty union extended the existing contract through Sept. 4.
Auburn University’s campus labor union also plans a visibility event before the Sept. 11 Board of Trustees meeting to protest changes the board made to curriculum control and faculty governance.
