POSTED BY AAUP STAFF

A clear majority of faculty at the University of New Mexico have declared their support for unionization in an official election petition filed today with the UNM Labor Management Relations Board.

The UNM bargaining unit, comprising more than 1,600 full- and part-time faculty on five campuses—UNM’s main campus, in Albuquerque; UNM-Gallup; UNM-Los Alamos; UNM-Taos; and UNM-Valencia—has organized under the banner of United Academics of the University of New Mexico for more faculty voice and transparency on campus. UA-UNM, affiliated nationally with the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers, will formally vote on the union in the coming months and seek certification from the UNM Labor Management Relations Board. Faculty are calling on the UNM administration to work collaboratively with them rather than expend precious public resources pursuing an antagonistic and counterproductive approach to recognition and a first contract.

UA-UNM hopes to strengthen student supports, tenure and promotion, faculty recruitment and retention, and job security to provide the best possible environment for teaching, learning, research and outreach across New Mexico.