NYU administrators hope to hire a third-party mediator for bargaining sessions with the university’s contract faculty union, aiming to expedite the agreement process after a year of back-and-forth proposals. The union said it would consider the suggestion.

University spokesperson John Beckman said in a Tuesday statement that Contract Faculty United, which represents nearly 1,000 full-time faculty, has made “disappointingly little movement on many proposals.” Over the past year, the two parties have held 17 bargaining sessions, during which union members suggested 54 proposals for better compensation, speech protections and support for international faculty. 

“NYU believes the introduction of a mediator — someone impartial with a fresh set of eyes who can help both sides work towards an agreement — can have a positive effect on the course of the negotiations,” Beckman wrote. “NYU has been and remains firmly committed to negotiating with CFU-UAW in good faith and to reaching an agreement in a timely manner.”

CFU began its bargaining in November 2024 — around eight months after NYU formally recognized the union, CFU-UAW Local 7902 — focused on guaranteeing job security, raising salaries and improving health care benefits. But since President Donald Trump took office in January, union members have turned their attention toward supporting international faculty and prioritizing academic freedom on campus. Their recent proposals push for NYU to sponsor permanent residence or provide international faculty with a visa of their choosing, rather than defaulting to temporary visas that could make them more susceptible to deportation. 

Jacob Remes, Gallatin professor and CFU representative, told WSN that the union was “carefully considering” the proposal, which it received Monday morning. Remes said Beckman’s characterization of the union’s response as slow was “false,” adding that administrators only responded to four out of 14 counterproposals union members brought to bargaining sessions last Friday.

“We were surprised and confused by that, because we moved toward everything — except for some proposals where they have refused to engage with us at all,” Remes said. “We have been — for months — explaining the things that we and our members need and deserve in order to uphold the integrity of NYU education, and we’re going to continue to do that.”

Contact Natalie Deoragh at [email protected].