NYU strike could start Monday as 900+ non-tenured faculty members seek new contract

New York University is up against the clock to reach a new contract with hundreds of unionized non-tenured faculty members, who say they're prepared to go on strike without a new deal by Monday's deadline. 

Negotiations with Contract Faculty United resumed at 10 a.m. Friday and could last all weekend, but the university says classes will go on as scheduled when students return from spring break next week regardless of what happens. 

NYU negotiating with non-tenured faculty

More than 900 non-tenured faculty members, who teach about 25% of classes at NYU, said they're prepared to walk off their jobs at 8 a.m. on March 23 after months of failed talks between their union and university administrators. 

"You'll see a lot of us here. We're going to have an inflatable rat. It's going to be rowdy, it's going to be lively," said Jon Ritter, a clinical professor of architectural history.   

Contract Faculty United said it's fighting for stronger job security, reasonable workloads, academic freedom protections and fair compensation that reflects contributions and years of service.     

NYU maintains it has been bargaining in good faith.   

"The university had made a very significant offer to the union, the highest minimum salaries of any unionized contract faculty in the country," said NYU Chief Communications Officer Wiley Norvell.   

Many students on the Greenwich Village campus have been speaking up in support of the faculty. 

"I really hope that the administration sees how much students care about this issue and that they come to the table faster," said sophomore Jamie Hesseltine.   

"Our chief priority right now is our students. No matter what happens going into this weekend, we're going to make sure we can protect their academic continuity," Norvell said. 

NYU statement on possible strike

In a statement, an NYU spokesperson accused union members of choosing to "disrupt thousands of students' education when they have a market-leading offer in hand, and when the University has been pressing to resolve this contract through an independent mediator for the past five months."

In the event of a strike, the university said classes taught by tenured professors would continue as normal. Others could be covered by substitutes, including other NYU faculty and outside instructors. 

The talks are expected to continue through the weekend.

If no deal is reached, picketing could begin Monday at 9 a.m. on Mercer Street.