Frequently Asked Questions

No. SEIU has no standing at LMU after the university lawfully invoked its religious exemption on September 12.

SEIU has announced plans to initiate a strike on LMU’s campus. LMU lawfully invoked its religious exemption on September 12, SEIU has no standing at the university. Strikes disrupt the continuity of instruction and the student experience—the very things LMU prioritizes. We’re focused on students and on concrete faculty improvements underway through direct engagement.

The strike authorization vote may grab headlines, but LMU remains focused on what matters most—our students and the investment they are making in their education.

It wouldn’t be a lawful strike. Our first duty is continuity of instructions for students, and the university will act accordingly to ensure students are well served.

At LMU, we respect the rights of individuals to express their views, including through peaceful protest. Protests are acts of expression protected by law; they allow individuals or groups to share perspectives without interrupting their work responsibilities.

A strike is different. A strike is when employees, as a group, stop performing their job duties. Strikes disrupt the continuity of instruction and the student experience—the very things LMU prioritizes.

No. LMU does not recognize SEIU 721. No one is obligated to participate in a strike.

Because it is. SEIU is an outside, dues-funded organization that represents its unit members only. SEIU engages in tactics that continue to jeopardize campus operations. LMU faculty are part of LMU; SEIU is not.

SEIU’s tactics - political and procedural - moved beyond constructive bargaining and into actions that jeopardized LMUs operations and conflicted with our values: SEIU filed baseless legal claims suggesting the university’s non-compliance with its master plan with the city, stirred up neighborhood conflicts, and spread misleading public narratives. These tactics did not represent nor advance the interests of LMU faculty, slowed progress, and divided our community. They also represent behaviors that run counter to LMU’s culture, values, and mission:

• City Planning interference: SEIU lawyers attempted to weaponize the city planning process against LMU by filing baseless claims to the Los Angeles Department of City Planning that LMU was in violation of its master plan. These meritless claims could have directly and severely impacted essential campus functions and LMU’s ability to operate.
  
  
• Neighborhood disruption: SEIU inserted itself into public community hearings as a stage to drum up opposition to LMU interests and activities– including campus events, construction work, and other activities the university carries out responsibly and within its rights. SEIU has pushed to rewrite the long-standing operating rules and practices of established neighborhood advisory bodies, aiming to insert itself into processes that govern LMU’s relationship with its own neighbors and community.
  
  
• Preventing faculty compensation: SEIU attorneys issued demand letters to prevent the university from making improvements including titling initiatives and changes to compensation such as pay raises with NTT and Visiting Faculty outside the bargaining process. Following the exemption, LMU moved quickly to apply the increases retroactively.

SEIU’s rhetoric distorts the facts. LMU’s invocation of the religious exemption is lawful, grounded in the U.S. Constitution, and consistent with Supreme Court and NLRB precedent. This right cannot be waived and may be exercised at any point.

No. They lack merit, but more to the point: LMU is exempt. LMU has invoked its constitutionally protected right to a religious exemption from NLRB jurisdiction as a Catholic university. The ULPs ignore that fact and are not legally valid.

LMU takes any legal claims seriously and will respond formally, if required, through the appropriate processes. Our priority is continuity of instruction for our students, to maintain open lines of communication, and to continue to engage faculty in decision-making directly and transparently.

It means faster progress. LMU now works directly with faculty, which has already led to raises. More full time roles and stronger governance structures are now in progress. And faculty are not required to give a percentage of their salary over to SEIU, they keep all the progress made on compensation.

Direct engagement. LMU is strengthening shared governance, compensation, and professional support in partnership with faculty. We invite continued input through our shared governance bodies and open conversations.

Concrete ones. LMU reinstated merit increases averaging 7.8%, are reviewing contract structures for stability, adding full-time roles, and expanding professional development.

Several. New policies will be routed through the Faculty Senate, the provost meets regularly with its leadership, the SVP for Student Affairs meets with student leaders, and the EVP/COO meets with the Staff Senate. These steps ensure transparency and shared voice.

The Board reached this decision to protect LMU’s mission and students. After months of discernment, trustees concluded that direct partnership with faculty—without SEIU—would accelerate progress toward shared goals in a manner that aligns with LMU’s Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount values and mission.

When non-tenure-track and visiting faculty voted to unionize, LMU respected that right and entered into dialogue. Over time, SEIU’s tactics slowed progress and fostered a divisive environment misaligned with our Catholic values and principles. Faculty voices can and will be heard without SEIU involvement, and LMU believes this path allows for faster, more mission-driven outcomes.

Decades of precedent. For more than 40 years, courts have upheld that religious universities cannot be compelled to bargain under the National Labor Relations Board. In 2024, the NLRB, under the Biden administration, reaffirmed that Catholic universities like LMU clearly qualify for an exemption to NLRB jurisdiction.

No. This constitutional right cannot be waived. Religious institutions have successfully exercised exemptions even after decades under union contracts. LMU is well within its legal rights.

Yes. From December 2024 to Summer 2025, LMU reviewed 39 proposals, made counterproposals, none of which were accepted by the union. LMU also shared data and financial models transparently with the bargaining team and with the university community online.

LMU immediately reinstated retroactive merit pay, began reviewing contracts and promotions, and expanded professional development. And the university has committed to more progress to come. For example, through our shared governance processes, university leadership is already engaging with the Faculty Senate to address NTT faculty issues.

The Board is responsible for long-term stewardship of LMU’s mission, values, and sustainability. While not part of the formal shared governance process because of their fiduciary role, trustees include student, staff, and faculty representatives on most working committees and at general sessions. Nearly 60% are alumni, one in five are LMU parents, eleven are members of sponsoring religious orders, and several are faculty. Trustees are dedicated volunteers who bring personal connection, expertise, and care to LMU. Their role is stewardship rather than day-to-day management, but they are engaged through committees, campus visits, and regular collaboration with university leadership.

No. The decision to invoke LMU’s constitutionally protected religious exemption to the National Labor Board’s jurisdiction is the path chosen by the Board moving forward and is final.

LMU invoked its religious exemption from the National Labor Relations Board to protect its mission. The decision safeguards LMU’s autonomy to carry out its mission without a third-party intermediary that may not share our values, and protects the distinctive values and culture that define our community while ensuring an LMU education remains attainable for students and families.

The LMU Board views the religious exemption as a safeguard to be used only when necessary to protect the university’s ability to educate and serve students. While we entered into initial union negotiations in good faith, the unrealistic demands from SEIU proved financially unsustainable and would have diverted significant resources away from students and undermined LMU’s ability to sustain its mission. This decision does not alter LMU’s steadfast commitments to Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, federal and state civil-rights protections, healthcare, or non discrimination. LMU will not invoke religious exemptions to restrict individual rights or benefits that do not impair the university’s ability to educate and serve students. This decision also does not affect unionized colleagues who are not directly employed by the university, such as food-service workers or employees of LMU’s partner organizations.

This step strengthens LMU’s ability to engage faculty directly though shared governance, rather than through a third-party intermediary that may not share our values. The definitive decision by LMU’s Board of Trustees means that collective bargaining with non-tenure track (NTT) and visiting faculty represented by SEIU Local 721  will cease, and LMU will no longer recognize these unions. An immediate effect is that LMU is implementing salary and merit increases for full-time NTT and faculty in Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts (BCLA), College of Communication and Fine Arts (CFA), and School of Film and Television (SFTV) that had been paused due to collective bargaining. Looking ahead, LMU will expand direct collaboration through strengthened shared governance and active direct dialogue.

This religious exemption is focused and limited to current and future labor organizing activities and preserves the institutional autonomy necessary to serve and support students in fulfillment of LMU’s Catholic educational mission. Importantly, it protects the university’s ability to support students, faculty, and the distinctive educational experience that defines LMU.

LMU recognizes that our NTT and visiting faculty have important concerns, and we are committed to addressing them through meaningful and equitable solutions. Through our shared governance structures, we will ensure that faculty voices are heard and that outcomes align with LMU’s mission and financial stability.

With student success as our driving purpose, LMU will take immediate steps through the Multi-Year Compensation Initiative to enhance compensation for NTT and visiting faculty. These include salary and merit increases averaging 7.8% for full-time NTT faculty in BCLA, CFA, and SFTV that had been paused due to collective bargaining. In addition to the 3.5% increase that part-time faculty received in Spring 2025, the university is implementing a further 2% market-based adjustment for Lecturers and Senior Lecturers. Part-time faculty who received a promotion will receive an additional 10% salary increase. Returning eligible visiting faculty will also be awarded a 3.5% merit increase. Looking ahead, LMU will expand full-time opportunities for faculty, enhance professional development opportunities, and foster deeper community connections.

Yes. Beginning in Academic Year 2026, LMU will increase the number of full-time faculty positions across campus. The university will also increase the number of multi-year contracts for term faculty where need is documented, teaching effectiveness is verified, and there is budgetary allocation. LMU will also work to create annual contracts for part time faculty who consistently teach the same two courses in both fall and spring semesters. Additionally, LMU will encourage departments to adopt multi-year course forecasting and consistent curricular mapping.

The Board of Trustee’s decision does not change LMU’s commitments to staff. The exception is focused on current and future labor organizing activities in order to safeguard LMU’s Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount mission without the involvement of a third-party intermediary. This protects the values and culture that define our community, while ensuring we remain focused on keeping an LMU education attainable for students and families.

For staff, LMU continues to move forward with the Multi-Year Compensation Initiative. Employees at the Westchester and LMU Loyola Law School campuses are entering Year 2, with market adjustments and merit awards scheduled for September 28, 2025.

Our foremost responsibility is to provide an excellent, accessible education. By preserving LMU’s autonomy, stewarding financial sustainability, and pursuing direct dialogue and shared governance with our faculty and employees, we safeguard and protect the student experience for current and future generations.

This decision reflects LMU’s Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount values - rooted in responsibility to safeguard the university's long-term viability, advance our educational mission, and keep an LMU education within reach for our students. It also allows us to work directly with faculty to address their concerns more immediately, which accelerates our ability to make progress on key workplace issues. Catholic social teaching affirms the dignity of work and the rights of workers, and LMU embraces those principles. This decision reflects our belief that the best way to honor those values at LMU is through direct engagement with faculty, rather than through a third-party intermediary.

A religious exemption is a protection in U.S. law that allows faith-based organizations, such as LMU, to be excused from certain laws or regulations that could create excessive entanglement between government and the organization’s free exercise of its religious mission or beliefs. These exemptions are designed to preserve the autonomy of religious institutions so they can carry out their work in ways consistent with their religious values and identity. A series of judicial and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decisions have recently reaffirmed this constitutionally protected right in relation to unionization at religious universities.

This action applies solely to matters under the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Act and the National Labor Relations Board; it does not alter LMU’s commitments to Title VI, VII and IX, federal and state civil rights protections, healthcare mandates, or our unwavering policies of non-discrimination. LMU will not invoke religious exemptions to restrict individual rights or benefits that do not impair the university’s ability to educate and serve students. This decision also does not affect unionized colleagues who are not directly employed by the university, such as food-service workers or employees of LMU’s partner organizations.
  
Staying true to our Catholic and Jesuit mission is paramount as is maintaining a sustainable financial path that allows us to preserve and protect the integrity of our mission. While we entered into initial union negotiations in good faith, the unrealistic demands from SEIU proved financially unsustainable and would have diverted significant resources away from students.

Yes. LMU’s decision is firmly grounded in the U.S. Constitution and decades of precedent. The First Amendment guarantees the free exercise of religion and affirms LMU’s right to govern itself without undue governmental or third-party involvement. In 1979, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the NLRB could not force a religious school to recognize or bargain with a union, establishing the religious exemption more than four decades ago. In 2024, the NLRB reaffirmed that a religious university like LMU — nonprofit, affiliated with a religious order, and providing a faith-based educational environment — clearly qualifies for this exemption. Religious universities across the country have invoked religious exemption at every stage of unionization, including after many years under union contracts. The exemption is not subject to waiver and can be invoked at any point. LMU is not breaking new ground; it is exercising its constitutional right to autonomy in determining how its religious values shape both the future of the university and its direct interactions with faculty and staff.

LMU bargained in good faith for eight months, consistent with national norms that average 409 days to finalize a first collective bargaining agreement. During this period, LMU reviewed 39 proposals, conducted rigorous financial analyses, and shared results with the union’s SEIU in July. We also modeled reduced scenarios, but every path led to the same conclusion: unsustainable costs that would force an 18% tuition increase, 300 layoffs, and cuts to student programs. That outcome directly contradicts LMU’s mission. At that point, the Board determined the responsible path was to invoke the religious exemption and engage with faculty directly. 

LMU’s audited financial statements have always been voluntarily publicly available online. The same financial models and audits previously provided to SEIU have been posted online since July.

LMU’s budget priorities reflect its commitment to delivering a transformative educational experience while maintaining long-term financial stability. As a nonprofit institution, LMU reinvests the majority of tuition and fee revenue directly into its people— through student financial aid and faculty and staff compensation—which together account for nearly three-quarters of the university’s annual budget. Remaining funds are directed toward enhancing academic programs, upgrading campus facilities, and supporting co-curricular resources that enrich student life.

Too much for our students and families to afford. Their demands—not just the initial proposals but likely settled amounts—would add $40 million in annual costs. That would be equal to an 18% tuition hike, 300 layoffs, and major cuts to student programs. That outcome would undermine affordability further, hurt quality, and jeopardize our Catholic educational mission.

By avoiding unsustainable cost increases. LMU is tuition driven. Three-quarters of LMU’s budget invests directly back into its people through financial aid and faculty/staff compensation. SEIU’s proposals did not account for cost impacts, so the university created models to ensure it understood the impacts to our students and families. LMU’s approach is to contain costs while improving faculty support—balancing the needs of all stakeholders. Or in the CST framework, the common good was prioritized—recognizing that the means and the ends must be reconciled to continue being mission-first and student centered.

They are too small to matter. Executive compensation is roughly 1-2% of the budget, nowhere near $40M per year—nowhere near $40M/year and below-market leadership compensation creates new problems.Our goal is to invest in all employees in a responsible, mission-aligned, student-centered, and financially sustainable way.

LMU’s financial health is the result of decades of careful stewardship and disciplined decision-making. A key part of that stewardship is ensuring employees are fairly compensated while also protecting the university’s long-term stability.