Imperfect Paradise: How union organizing is being upended by private universities in Southern California

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🗓️ 26 September 2025

⏱️ 21 minutes

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Summary

Big companies like Amazon and SpaceX are claiming that the National Labor Relations Board – an independent federal entity in charge of overseeing unionizing efforts – is unconstitutional. In addition to those companies, colleges like the University of Southern California and Loyola Marymount University are also joining the movement to push back against labor groups. If this movement succeeds, it could make unionizing harder on a broader level. LAist higher education reporter Julia Barajas joins us to talk about why these universities are seemingly working against faculty attempting to organize and what it could mean for unions at universities – and beyond – in the long term.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Megan Garvey, editor-in-chief here at LASD.
0:03.0	We know you count on us for the most accurate information, so we're asking you to take a moment to set LASD as your preferred news source for Google searches.
0:12.0	Get your one-click guide at LAS.com slash Google.
0:15.6	This is Larry Mantle.
0:16.8	2025 marks the 40th anniversary of Air Talk on LA, 89.3, we've discussed the biggest
0:23.3	topics of the day for decades. Thank you for joining me for the biggest conversation in
0:28.3	Southern California for 40 years. This is in Perfect Paradise. I'm Antonio Serejido.
0:34.5	There has been this push nationwide spearheaded by several big companies like Amazon and
0:39.7	SpaceX claiming that the National Labor Relations Board, this independent federal entity in charge of
0:45.5	overseeing unionizing efforts, is unconstitutional. Given the history of corporate entities,
0:51.9	this is not that surprising. But what is surprising is that private universities, like the University of Southern California,
0:58.5	are joining those companies in this fight.
1:01.8	Loyola Marymount is even using their religious affiliation as a reason to not recognize the university's new faculty union.
1:08.9	They just basically dropped a nuclear bomb on the campus community.
1:16.3	If this movement to upend the Labor Relations Board succeeds, it could make unionizing
1:21.9	harder on a broader level, not just for employees at universities, but other companies nationwide.
1:29.3	So why are these universities seemingly working against faculty attempting to organize? And what does this movement say about
1:34.6	anti-union culture nationwide? Joining me today on In Perfect Paradise to talk about all this is
1:39.8	LAS Higher Education reporter Julia Varachas. Hi, Julia. Hey, Antonia. All right, Julia, I want to talk about what led to this point. I know that here at LAS, we've been covering for a number of years how a lot of students, faculty, and other academic workers at several California colleges and universities have been protesting or going on strike to demand fair wages, better working conditions, and other protections.
2:04.8	I am standing at my alma mater and I am upset since then I am very, very angry how you're treating my faculty.
2:13.4	Are we ready to fight? Are we ready to win?
2:16.0	So obviously this is like a major concern for a lot of people at universities across California.
	...

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