unions

IANAL, but I’d be surprised if they can actually do that, even as a private Roman Catholic university.

The presidents of the two faculty unions at St. John's University told NCR that they were disappointed by the administration's decision.

"Our response is that the administration of St. John's cannot unilaterally dissolve a collective bargaining unit that has existed for 56 years," said Christopher Denny, a theology and religious studies professor who serves as president of the university's Faculty Association.

"We are certified by the State of New York and St. John's is going to have to honor that legal relationship that it has consented to for over half a century," said Denny, who added that the unions' attorneys "are going to be fighting this, at whatever level of the judiciary."