NYU faculty strike paused as union, administration reach tentative agreement

The strike by hundreds of non-tenured faculty members at New York University was paused after the union said a tentative agreement was reached.

The Contract Faculty United Union posted on social media that they reached an agreement with the NYU administration early Wednesday morning. 

The new contract still needs to be voted on and ratified, but the strike has been halted in the meantime. 

Staff picket for higher pay

The strike began at 11 a.m. Monday, when around 950 faculty members started picketing at the John A. Paulson Center on Mercer Street in NoHo.

The union said it wants to address the issue of low pay compared to tenured faculty and protections for faculty participation in academic decisions. 

"NYU is not paying its contract faculty fairly, and it's not fair for them to balance their budget on the backs of some of the people who are working the hardest and getting paid the least," economics professor Dawn-Elin Fraser said.

The strike was supposed to start at 8 a.m., but the union said it gave the university's administration a three-hour extension. School officials allegedly began reviewing the new proposals at 10:50 a.m., which the union said was too late. 

University officials called the strike unnecessary as they have "been pressing to resolve this contract through an independent mediator for the past five months." 

"They chose to strike even after the University remained at the bargaining table through the weekend and overnight. We presented a generous and comprehensive package that would improve the lives of every one of its members, including significant raises, the highest minimum salaries of any unionized contract faculty in the country, and comprehensive benefits, including enhanced family care," said NYU's chief communications officer Wiley Norvell in a statement.    

Classes impacted by strike

While classes continued during the strike, around 25% of them were expected to be impacted.

The university said it was considering remote learning while some classes could be covered by substitutes. 

"We are committed to maintaining our students' academic progress during this strike," the school said.