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June 2025 Newsletter

In this month's newsletter, we announce a National Center research project into academic freedom provisions in collective bargaining agreements. As part of that project, we are seeking copies of arbitration awards that have interpreted and applied academic freedom in the context of grievance-arbitration. 

The newsletter includes news about a recent presentation given by National Center Research Fellow Joseph van der Naald, and the recent publication of the 5^th edition of a treatise on New York public sector labor and employment law. It also provides information about a newly certified adjunct faculty bargaining unit at Simmons University in Massachusetts, a recent representation election outcome involving postdoctoral researchers at Johns Hopkins University, and a new interns and residents bargaining unit at the University of Minnesota Medical School. 

Lastly, the newsletter includes our 2026 Conference Call for Proposals, links to videos and pictures from our 2025 annual conference, and links to articles from the most recent volume of the Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy.

Seeking Academic Freedom Arbitration Awards for New Research Project

As part of a National Center research project into academic freedom provisions in collective bargaining agreements, we are seeking arbitration awards that have applied principles of academic freedom. In particular, we are looking for awards that have interpreted academic freedom contract provisions and institutional polices, along with awards evaluating academic freedom claims made in the context of grievances challenging tenure, reappointment, and promotional decisions or in defense against discipline.

We encourage unions, institutions, and arbitrators to submit redacted arbitration awards to the following Dropbox folder: Academic Freedom Arbitration Awards.

Questions concerning this project can be directed to our Executive Director Bill Herbert: wh124@hunter.cuny.edu.

National Center Research Fellow Joseph van den Naald Presents Higher Education Collective Bargaining Data at LERA Annual Meeting

National Center Research Fellow Joseph van der Naald made a research presentation on June 14, 2025 at the 77th Annual Meeting of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA). The presentation was titled The State of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education: Findings from the 2024 Directory of Bargaining Agents and Contracts in Institutions of Higher Education.

Commentators during the session were Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, the Florence G. Heller Chair and Professor in the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University and Adrienne Eaton, Distinguished Professor of Labor and Employment Relations and former Dean at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations,

Joey is a PhD candidate in sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center. His doctoral research is focused on labor movement dynamics, social policy, and inequality. His dissertation examines the historical emergence of public employees’ unions in the Midwestern United States.

He has been a National Center Research Fellow since 2018. During his tenure at the National Center, he has co-authored two book chapters, two peer-reviewed research articles and four National Center research studies, the last being the 2024 Directory of Bargaining Agents and Contracts in Institutions of Higher Education.

New: Lefkowitz on Public Sector Labor and Employment Law, 5th Edition

The 5th edition of the treatise Lefkowitz on Public Sector Labor Employment Law was published earlier this month. The treatise provides advocates and scholars with a comprehensive analysis of public sector labor and employment law in New York. It covers the history of legal protections and benefits of public employees, anti-discrimination and First Amendment protections, employee, union, and employer rights under the Taylor Law, the representation process, the duty to negotiate, practice and procedures at the New York State Public Employment Relations Board and other key issues.

The treatise is named in honor of Jerome Lefkowitz, a central figure in the history of New York public sector law and a former Public Employment Relations Board Chairperson who spoke at the National Center's first annual conference in 1973.

The treatise's 5th edition was co-edited by National Center Executive Director Bill Herbert, arbitrator Philip L. Maier, and practitioners Adam S. Ross and Richard K. Zuckerman.

Simmons University: SEIU Certified to Represent Adjunct Faculty Unit

Simmons University, NLRB Case No. 01-RC-363568

On June 10, 2025, SEIU Local 509 was certified by the National Labor Relations Board to represent a unit of 668 adjunct faculty at Simmons University in Massachusetts. The certification followed a June 2, 2025 tally of ballots demonstrating that the adjunct faculty voted 209-15 in favor SEIU Local 509 representation.

The following is a description in the NLRB certification of the new faculty unit at Simmons University:

Included: All adjunct faculty employed by Simmons University at its Massachusetts campuses or online (including hybrid and blended courses) who teach at least one credit bearing course or non-credit bearing lab in a degree-granting program.

Excluded: All full-time or proportional members of the faculty, Deans (all levels), Program Directors (all levels), Chairs, Provosts, Student Workers, Confidential Employees, Managers, Guards and Supervisors as defined by the Act.

However, Dual Role Adjunct Faculty are neither included in nor excluded from the bargaining unit covered by this certification, inasmuch as the parties did not agree on their inclusion or exclusion but agreed to vote them subject to challenge and resolution of their inclusion or exclusion was unnecessary because their ballots were not determinative of the election results.

Johns Hopkins University: Postdoctoral Researchers Vote Overwhelmingly for UAW Representation

Johns Hopkins University, NLRB Case No: 05-RC-364341

On June 11, 2025, the National Labor Relations Board tallied the ballots in an election concerning a petition by Johns Hopkins Postdoctoral Researchers Organized – UAW to represent a unit of 1,451 postdoctoral researchers employed at Johns Hopkins University. The tally demonstrated that the postdoctoral researchers voted 560-17 in favor of representation by Johns Hopkins Postdoctoral Researchers Organized – UAW.

The following is a description of the new bargaining unit at Johns Hopkins University:

Included: All full-time and regular part-time postdoctoral researchers who provide services to the Employer, including Postdoctoral Fellows and Postdoctoral Research Fellows.

Excluded: All other employees, Clinical Fellows, Clinical-Research Postdoctoral Fellows, non-professional employees, guards, and supervisors as defined in the Act.

Univ. of Minnesota: SEIU Certified to Represent Interns and Residents

University of Minnesota, BMS Case No. 25PCE1106

On May 9, 2025, the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services certified the Committee of Interns and Residents-SEIU to represent a bargaining unit of interns and residents at the University of Minnesota Medical School. The certification followed a card check conducted by the agency.

The following is a description of the newly certified unit at the University of Minnesota Medical School:

All full-time and regular part-time physicians employed as interns, residents, fellows, chief residents, and chief fellows who are employees within the meaning of Minn. Stat. 179A.11, subd. 1(b), and public employees within the meaning of Minn. Stat. 179A.03, subd. (14), employed by the University of Minnesota in any residency or fellowship program sponsored by the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Office of Graduate

Medical Education and holding one of the following job titles/codes:

Medical Fellow – Graduate Program (Job Code 9554),

Medical Fellow (Job Code 9555),

Medical Resident (Job Code 9556),

Medical Resident - Graduate Program (Job Code 9559),

Chief Medical Resident (Job Code 9556CR), and

Medical Fellow – Non-ACGME Accredited (Job Code 9555NA).

The unit shall exclude all supervisory and confidential employees within the meaning of Minn. Stat. 179A.03, subds. 4 and 17, and all other employees.

2026 Conference Call for Proposals

53rd Annual National Center Conference

March 22-24, 2026

CUNY Graduate Center and the Roosevelt House

Public Policy Institute at Hunter College

The National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions, Hunter College, City University of New York invites proposals for balanced and diverse labor-management panels and interactive workshops for our 53rd annual conference that will take place on March 22-24, 2026 in New York City.

The theme of the conference will be Uniting for Political and Workplace Democracy.

We welcome proposals for diverse panels and workshops that include labor and administrator representatives to discuss subjects relevant to the conference theme including higher education unionization, collective bargaining, and labor relations.

We strongly encourage proposals that include newer and diverse speakers, moderators, and facilitators. Suggested panel and workshop topics are set forth below.

We also encourage conference proposals from authors of recently published books relevant to the theme of the conference. 

Those interested in proposing a panel or workshop should upload an abstract by August 29, 2025 to 2026 Conference Abstract Dropbox.

To be considered, the abstract must include a title and description along with a list of invited or confirmed participants with their titles, affiliations, and contact information. For proposed Interactive workshops, the abstract should identify a proposed experienced facilitator to lead the workshop. The abstract should also state how the proposed panel or workshop will ensure diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

Questions concerning the call for proposals should be emailed to msavares@hunter.cuny.edu.

Suggested Conference Panel or Workshop Topics

• Political and Workplace Democracy: Joint Strategies for Defending and Educating
• Campus Leader Responses to Anti-DEI Efforts and Efforts at Championing Inclusivity at Higher Ed Institutions
• Creating Alliances Between Institutions, Labor, and Community Groups
• Mutual Aid and Protection Agreements Between Higher Ed Institutions
• Immigration: Best Practices for Protecting Faculty and Students
• An Immigration Law Update
• Scope of Current Public Sector Higher Ed Collective Bargaining Rights
• State Legislative Changes and Proposals Concerning Collective Bargaining
• State Law Alternatives to the National Labor Relations Act?
• Negotiating Non-NLRB Representation Election and Card Check Procedures
• Community Colleges: Innovative Contract Provisions for Contingent Faculty
• Distinct Bargaining Issues and Negotiation Histories Involving Campus Staff
• Bargaining and Implementing Recent Postdoctoral Scholar Contracts
• Creative Labor-Management Solutions to Federal Cuts in Research Funding
• Analysis of Recent Graduate Student Employee First Contracts
• Strategies for Improving Morale on Campus in Unprecedented Times
• Changing Union Organizational Cultures to be Proactive Against Racism
• Successful Strategies in Arbitrating Over Academic Freedom Issues
• Best Practices in Presenting Past Practice Arguments Before an Arbitrator
• The Challenges in Negotiating Shared Governance Procedures
• The Status of Title VI and Title IX Enforcement on Campus
• Practical Skills in Handling Weingarten Rights and Disciplinary Interrogations
• Disciplinary Arbitration: Best Practices in Preparing and Presenting
• The Scope of Protected Conduct for Political, Social, and International Advocacy
• Mindfulness for Stressful Times in Higher Education and the Professions
• Information Demands and Responses in Negotiations and Grievance Processing
• Selecting Arbitrators and Mediators: Considerations for Unions and Institutions

Video Recordings from the 52nd Annual National Conference

We thank the speakers, moderators, and conference attendees for a very successful 52nd National Center annual conference that we held in March.

The theme of the conference was Unity in Defense of Higher Education and Collective Bargaining. The full conference program can be downloaded here.

The success of the conference would not have been possible without the support and assistance of Hunter College President Cantor, the National Center Board of Advisors, along with the staff at Roosevelt House, the CUNY Graduate Center, and our conference staff and volunteers.

Below are links to recordings of the welcoming remarks and select presentations from the conference. We thank the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute staff and Hunter College student videographers for their assistance.

Welcoming Remarks with William A. Herbert, Executive Director, National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions, Hunter College, CUNY, Manoj Pardasani, Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Hunter College, CUNY, Malini Cadambi-Daniel, Executive Director, Professional Staff Congress-CUNY, AFT Local 2334, Ahsan Ali, Senior Director of Labor Relations, Tufts University, and Jessica Baker, Hunter College student and National Center Intern.

Keynote Presentation: Unity in Defense of Higher Education and Collective Bargaining with Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers, Lynn Pasquerella, President, American Association of Colleges and Universities, and Adrienne Lu, Senior Reporter, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Moderator.

Research Panel: Presentation on the 2024 Directory of Faculty Contracts and Bargaining Agents in Higher Education with Jacob Apkarian, Associate Professor, Sociology, York College, CUNY, Joseph van der Naald, PhD Candidate in Sociology, Graduate Center, CUNY, Susan Kelly, President, Microsearch Corporation, Mary Taber, Director of Research, UUP, Commentator, Dana Fleming, Associate General Counsel, Tufts University, Commentator, and Malini Cadambi-Daniel, Executive Director, Professional Staff Congress-CUNY, AFT Local 2334, Moderator.

Panel: Current Immigration Issues in Higher Education with Miriam Feldblum, co-founder and Executive Director, Presidents Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, Cianna Freeman-Tolbert, Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP, and Channing Cooper, Deputy Director, AFT Legal Department, Panelist and Moderator.

Research Panel: Work Stoppage Across the Educational Continuum: K-12 to Higher Education with Jacob Apkarian, Associate Professor, Sociology, York College, CUNY and National Center Affiliated Researcher, Melissa Arnold Lyon, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany, SUNY, Daniel Iskhakov, National Center Graduate Research Fellow, and Rhiannon M. Maton, Associate Professor, Foundations and Social Advocacy, SUNY Cortland and National Center Visiting Scholar, Panelist and Moderator.

Panel: Artificial Intelligence: Changing the Bargaining Landscape with Jeffrey M. Hirsch, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Geneva Yeargan Rand Distinguished Professor of Law, University of North Carolina School of Law, Alec Thomson, President, National Council for Higher Education, NEA, Nicholas L. Collins, ArentFox Schiff LLP, and

Arthur Pearlstein, Arbitrator and Mediator, Moderator.

Book Discussion: Organizing Professionals: Academic Employees Negotiating a New Academy with author Gary Rhoades, Professor and Director, Center for the Study of Higher Education, University of Arizona, Richard Gomes, Staff Representative, AFT New Jersey, Jennie Shanker, Staff Representative, AFT New Jersey, Laura Murphy, Dutchess Community College, Dan Echikson, Organizer, ACT-UAW Local 7902, and Ryan Quinn, Reporter, Inside Higher Ed, Moderator.

Panel: Administrator Responses to Campus Protest: Lessons from History with Ellen Schrecker, Professor of History (retired), Yeshiva University, member Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure, AAUP, Paul Ortiz, Professor of Labor History, Cornell ILR, Jelani Favors, Author of Shelter in a Time of Storm: How Black Colleges Fostered Generations of Leadership and Activism, Henry E. Frye Distinguished Professor, Department of History and Political Science and Director, Center of Excellence for Social Justice, North Carolina A&T State University, and Dale Kapla, Senior Associate Provost, Northern Michigan University, Moderator.

Photographs from the 52nd Annual National Conference

(l-r) National Center Visiting Scholar Karen Stubaus and Hunter College President Nancy Cantor.

(l-r) AACU President Lynn Pasquerella and AFT President Randi Weingarten during keynote presentation.

ArentFox Schiff Associate Nicholas L. Collins discussing AI and collective bargaining.

(l-r) Morgan, Brown & Joy's Joseph P. McConnell and Hofstra University's Provost Emeritus Herman A. Berliner during panel discussion on negotiating over tenure.

Book discussion panel with (l-r) University of Arizona Professor Gary Rhoades,

AFT New Jersey Staff Representatives Richard Gomes and Jennie Shanker, ACT-UAW Local 7902 Organizer Dan Echikson, Dutchess United Educators' Laura Murphy, and Inside Higher Ed Reporter

Ryan Quinn, moderator.

(l-r) Tufts University Associate General Counsel Dana Fleming and UUP's Director of Research Mary Taber during their commentary about the National Center's 2024 Directory of Faculty Contracts and Bargaining Agents in Higher Education.

California Faculty Association President Margarita Berta Avila during a panel discussion on antiracism and social justice Issues and working conditions as

Negotiable Subjects.

(l-r) Former JCCC Faculty Association President and Lead Negotiator Deborah H. Williams, United Faculty of Florida-Tallahassee State College President Martin Balinsky and Oakland Community College Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Andre’ L. Poplar discussing the selection of bargaining team members and dealing with rogue team members.

The National Center's extraordinary group of conference staff and volunteers: (l-r) Amy Jeu, Kim Middleton, Winnie and Greg Johnson, and National Center Administrator Michelle Savarese.

(l-r) CSU Assistant Vice Chancellor for Collective Bargaining, Joseph Jelincic, California PERB General Counsel J. Felix De La Torre, CSUEU Statewide President Catherine Hutchinson, and

CSUEU SDSU Student Leader Kajily Brooks, part of a panel on The New Wave of Campus Student Workers.

Panel on the Fundamentals for Labor Management Committees in Higher Education with (l/r)

SUNY Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Counsel for Employee Relations Liesl K. Zwicklbauer,, NY GOER Assistant Director Phyllis Volpe, and NYS-

CSEA Partnership's

Stephanie Burkes and

Daniel Shook.

York College Associate Professor of Sociology and National Center Affiliated Researcher Jacob Apkarian presenting research findings from the National Center's 2024 Directory of Contracts and Bargaining Agents in Institutions of Higher Education with co-author CUNY Doctoral Student in Sociology and Affiliated Researcher Joseph van de Naald (seated).

Support the National Center by Purchasing the

Commemorative 52nd Annual Conference T-Shirt

To help support the National Center's mission, research and program, we encourage you to purchase a Commemorative 52nd Annual Conference t-shirt. The shirts are USA made, printed in a union shop, and 100% cotton. To order your t-shirt, click here. Direct any questions to: msavares@hunter.cuny.edu.

National Center Newsletter Sponsor

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy, Volume 16

In March, Volume 16 of the National Center's Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy was published. The Journal is an open-access, peer-reviewed, online periodical advancing research and scholarly thought related to collective bargaining and other issues in higher education, and making relevant and pragmatic peer-reviewed research readily accessible.

From the Editors

JCBA's Origins, Evolution, & Future by Gary Rhoades and Karen Stubaus

Articles

Who Benefits from a Faculty Union During a Pandemic? by Mary Ellen Benedict, David McClough, and John Hoag

Faculty Views About Their COVID-19 Layoffs from a Public University in the US Midwest by Susan E. Ramlo

A Beautiful Mind Meets Harsh Reality: Practical Tips for Negotiators When Bargaining Strays from Ideal Conditions by Christopher C. Douglas, Ellen Grachek, Allyson Strickland, and Marie Waung

How Do Collective Agreements Stack Up? Implications For Academic Freedom by Tim Ribaric and Rahul Kumar

The Limits of Law: Lessons for Collective Bargaining by Eric J. Scarffe and Daniel Saunders

Practitioner Perspectives

"No Pay, No RAs": Resident Assistant Unionization Amidst University Backlash by Justin Weller

Navigating Harassment and Discrimination at University of California through UAW 4811's Abusive Conduct Contract Provisions by Sarah Arveson and Emily Weintraut

Graduate Student Labor Unions: Two Experienced Academic Administrators Share Their Views by Karen R. Stubaus

Research Notes

Every Grain of Sand: 2024 Changes to the Scope of Higher Education Unionization by William A. Herbert, Joseph van der Naald, and Jacob Apkarian

Book Review

Towards a Progressive Academy: Review of Organizing Professionals: Academic Employees Negotiating a New Academy by Rebecca Kolins Givan

The Journal co-editors are Gary Rhoades, University of Arizona, Karen Stubaus, National Center Visiting Scholar and former Vice President for Academic Affairs at Rutgers University, and Jacob Apkarian, York College, City University of New York. The Journal is supported in part by a generous contribution from TIAA and is hosted by the institutional repository of Eastern Illinois University, The Keep, a service of EIU's Booth Library.

The Journal is now accepting submissions for Volume 17 to be published in March 2026. Our authors customarily include college and university faculty and administrators, scholars, graduate students, union activists and leaders, and others interested in collective bargaining in higher education. Please see the Aims & Scope page for more information or contact the co-editors with any questions on possible submissions.