Adjuncts strike at University of San Diego

SAN DIEGO, CA., May 7, 2025 - About 180 non-tenure-track lecturers in the University of San Diego’s College of Arts and Sciences walked out May 7-8 after talks for a first union contract stalled. Represented by SEIU Local 721, they say administrators cut dozens of fall 2025 courses—leaving roughly one-quarter of adjuncts without work—without bargaining over the impact on workload, income or job security, and have filed an unfair-labor-practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board accusing USD of violating federal bargaining law.

Picket lines ran 7 a.m.–6 p.m. at the Linda Vista Road gate, with rallies, teach-ins and a march to President James Harris’s office. Faculty are pressing for a per-course minimum of $8,750, cancellation fees when classes are dropped late, health-benefit eligibility at six credit hours and limits on last-minute schedule changes.

USD, a private Catholic university, said it “remains committed to good-faith bargaining” but called the strike “disappointing and unnecessary” during finals week. Classes continued with substitutes where possible; officials warned students that missed sessions would not excuse final-exam obligations. The administration says its latest offer would raise average adjunct pay 12 percent over three years.

Negotiations, which began in September 2024, resume May 21 with a federal mediator. Union leaders warn a longer walkout is possible if progress stalls, while student supporters are circulating a tuition-refund petition. The dispute spotlights growing labour militancy among contingent faculty nationwide as they seek stable employment and a larger share of rising tuition revenues.

*Sources:

*https://blue.sandiego.edu/emails/departments/communications/2025/union-update-may-6.php

*https://www.seiu721.org/2025/04/usd-cas-ntt-faculty-ulp-strike-vote-frequently-asked-questions.php