Adjunct faculty votes 136-84 against union representation

After voting 136-84 against union representation, St. Thomas adjunct faculty will not be represented by the Service Employees International Union.

The National Labor Relations Board counted the ballots Monday that voting adjuncts had been mailing in since July 3. With 301 faculty eligible to vote, the result of the vote was determined by the majority of the number of votes cast.

St. Thomas is the second private college in the Twin Cities to vote on union representation for adjunct faculty this summer, and the first to vote “no” to a union. Adjunct faculty at Hamline University voted in favor of a union in June, and a vote at Macalester College was called off just days before the voting process was set to begin.

Of the 301 faculty eligible to vote, 244 total votes were cast. The SEIU challenged the eligibility of 24 ballots submitted, and those votes were not counted. Because the 24 challenged ballots would not change the results of the vote, those ballots were not counted and will remain unopened.

Jacob Sevening can be reached at seve8586@stthomas.edu.