With no election needed, the faculty of New Mexico State University approved the formation of a union in June, received a green light from the state’s labor board and is headed to bargaining this fall.
According to union representative Jamie Bronstein, about 53 percent of the eligible faculty submitted cards requesting to form a union with the National Education Association, known as NEA-NMSU. Since more than half of the eligible faculty submitted cards, the effort could bypass a vote and move into negotiations, she said.
Bronstein, a history professor at NMSU, said the swift experience had left faculty feeling optimistic and empowered – but the union still expected the university to put up roadblocks during negotiations.
“It’s the same lawyer NMSU hired (for other union negotiations) to be an obstructionist,” Bronstein said, referring to the Graduate Student Union's experience.
Justin Bannister, an NMSU Associate Vice President and spokesperson, said NMSU would “continue to follow all applicable requirements and contribute to an orderly process.”
“NMSU will further attempt to address any operational or logistical issues presented by a particular request during the process so that both parties have a clear understanding of the deliverables going forward. This should help smooth the path toward future compliance,” he said.
Recent years have seen an increase of labor organization at NMSU as part of a national trend of faculty and graduate students turning to collective bargaining to reverse stagnant pay and benefits.
According to a report from the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education, between 2013 and 2019, professors around the U.S. formed 188 new faculty unions. After the Covid-19 pandemic, that energy seemed to transfer from professors to graduate students, according to a 2023 report from the CUNY Graduate Center and the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies.
At NMSU, the process happened in reverse. After the graduate union formed and negotiated its first contract, the faculty renewed efforts in April.
Bronstein said the union's key demands include better health insurance, salaries and workloads. The union believes improving these conditions will improve the school’s standing.
“We would really like to make NMSU a more competitive place,” Bronstein said.
The New Mexico Public Employees Labor Relations Board will meet again on Aug. 6th, and it will likely approve the final procedural hurdle for NEA-NMSU.
“NMSU recognizes its bargaining obligations and takes them seriously,” Bannister said. “Our aim is to provide our students with excellent learning opportunities during their educational journeys. A fairly paid faculty is key to this endeavor and to our students’ ultimate success.”
