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 said they reached an agreement with the NYU administration early Wednesday morning after two days of the strike. 

The new contract still needs to be voted on and ratified, but union members are returning to work. 

Details of the tentative agreement

The union said 95% of members will make more than $100,000, and the base salary will be $91,000 starting in September. Everyone in the union will be getting a minimum raise of $14,000 by the start of the next academic year, according to a statement.

"Early this morning, after nearly 17 months of negotiations, we finally reached the strong, tentative agreement we need and deserve," officials wrote. "We won the highest minimum salaries of any unionized full-time, non-tenure track faculty in the country."

Faculty will get a $6,000 raise for this academic year, and the average raise from September 2025 to September 2026 salaries will be approximately 20%, a news release stated. 

NYU officials said there will be 3.5% annual raises starting in 2027 and a new $1 million family care benefit fund.

The agreement also includes a minimum of $2,500 annual professional development funding for each unionized full-time contract faculty member, professional development leaves and more health and welfare benefits. 

"The university has worked in good faith to recognize the important contributions these faculty members make to our community, and to ensure a sustainable and fair agreement. This deal provides meaningful raises and comprehensive benefits that will improve the lives of every member," said NYU's chief communications officer, Wiley Norvell, in a statement.   

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 wanted 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,"  Norvell previously said 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.