Labor Information

Union Organizing Activity Regarding Select Staff Positions

Background Information

On September 30, 2026, Tulane Workers United, an affiliated group of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) requesting that the NLRB hold an election to determine whether select staff across seven Tulane University locations wish to be represented by a union. The proposed bargaining unit consists of full-time and part-time administrative, clerical, and operations in over 120 job classifications.

All eligible staff have the right to vote in person in a secret ballot election conducted by the NLRB on a date to be determined by the NLRB.

Tulane is committed to operating in good faith and following the rules and regulations established by the NLRB. Our priority is to ensure that eligible staff are as well-informed as possible.

Tulane will keep the community informed of relevant updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

We understand there may be many questions as this process proceeds. We will attempt to answer those questions in an accurate and transparent fashion. If you have additional questions not covered here, please email laborinfo@tulane.edu.

The Union’s petition covers more than 700 staff members in 131 job titles across seven locations, including all of the uptown campus.

Employees outside the proposed bargaining unit would not be represented by the Union and would continue to follow the University’s staff handbook.

If the Union is elected and certified, Tulane will bargain in good faith over pay, benefits, and working conditions for employees in the bargaining unit.

The Union proposed the group of employees listed in its petition. The National Labor Relations Board will review that proposal to determine which employees belong in the bargaining unit. The group could change before the election, depending on that review and any hearing.

The Union’s proposed bargaining unit includes both hourly and salaried employees.

Scheduling is considered a mandatory subject of bargaining by the NLRB. Provisions in a collective bargaining agreement could impact the scheduling flexibility of both hourly and salaried employees.

Only eligible employees in the proposed bargaining unit can vote. Employees outside the unit cannot vote.

Supervisors are excluded, but having “manager” in your title does not automatically make you a supervisor. Your actual job responsibilities determine that. If Tulane and the Union disagree about who qualifies, the National Labor Relations Board will decide.

Not necessarily. Some employees join unions for a sense of belonging and camaraderie. Others may believe they have a positive working relationship with their supervisors and the administration but believe that they can get better pay and benefits if they unionize. As discussed in the presentation, however, the collective bargaining process is not a guarantee that an employee will get better pay or benefits. In fact, they could end up with less beneficial working conditions or terms of employment.

The non-solicitation policy applies to solicitation generally, including asking coworkers to support or join a union. It is intended to prevent interruptions while employees are working.

For example, asking a coworker to sign a union petition while either employee is working may violate the policy. Employees may discuss union matters during nonworking time, such as breaks or lunch.

Managers should apply the policy consistently to union and other solicitation.

The union only included specific job classifications in its petition. It is too early to tell what job classifications, among the 131 presented by the union, will be included in the final potential unit. We will have clarification following a hearing before the regional office of the NLRB.

Presently, all staff are covered by the staff handbook and have benefits established by policies and plans maintained by HR. If the union is successful in the election, the collective bargaining process may result in a different set of rules and benefits that will apply to those covered by a collective bargaining agreement.