Tulane professors and faculty unionized after winning a union election in a 146-29 vote.  

According to Assistant Professor Patrick Butler, a longtime faculty member, they had to make difficult choices with living expenses.

“My colleagues and I chose to take action for one another this year and formed Tulane Workers United to ensure none of us ever have to choose between which bills to pay that month or face housing and food insecurity again,” Butler said. “Tulane can afford to pay us wages that allow us to live with dignity and care for our families.”

Vice President and Director of Tulane Workers United Richard Minter said these wages reflect a nationwide problem.

“The fact that thousands of deeply invested, talented, university faculty across the country are being paid poverty wages by elite, highly profitable private universities with billion-dollar endowments is a black eye on academia,” Minter said.  

According to Tulane Professor Casey Beck, the election win made Tulane Workers United the first higher-education union with collective bargaining rights .

“We hope to win a transformative contract that would greatly improve the security of our jobs and our career outcomes at Tulane,” Beck said.