The faculty union at NMSU held a demonstration outside of the Educational Services building where the Board of Regents meeting took place Thursday.
NMSU faculty member Michelle Granger, along with other union members and supporters, held a sign that said "We can't wait! Fair contract now!" She says the union was certified about two years ago, and they started bargaining a contract 622 days ago.
"We cannot wait anymore. This is far too long for bargaining to still be going without faculty getting our needs addressed," Granger said.
NMSU-NEA says it is looking for fair working conditions, fair class sizes, a compensation package and other protections that most New Mexico faculty already have, according to Granger. NMSU enrollment is up and "they have never been healthier financially", and they still refuse to support faculty, she said.
"They have refused to support faculty in reasonable ways that are peers get all the time. And so, we are coming together to demand a fair contract and demand it now," Granger said.
Caedmon Ragland, president of Graduate Workers United, the graduate workers union at NMSU, stood with Granger and the others in solidarity. Graduate workers have been in multiple long lasting contract fights with NMSU, he said.
"All we have is the resources that we are provided to keep this university running. Those resources are not enough, which is why we have to go into contract fights why we have to fight why we have to escalate so that we can actually win the conditions that are what is necessary and what we deserve for making this university run," Ragland said.
Multiple faculty members spoke during public comment at the Board of Regents meeting, saying student success depends on faculty, and that is why they are demanding a "fair contract."
"We are NMSU," Granger and Ragland said. "Faculty union, grad union, we serve the students we're NMSU," Granger said.
In a statement to KRWG Public Media, , Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Abby Butler said, "NMSU remains committed to bargaining in good faith toward the first collective bargaining agreement that supports faculty and reflects the university’s long-term needs. Any first agreement requires solving significant and complex issues and, while 622 days have elapsed since the process began, scheduling of meetings has included periods when bargaining was not possible, due to summer pauses and other academic calendar breaks. We continue to bargain toward resolution and are focused on reaching an agreement as soon as possible."
