A group of non-tenure track faculty at Tulane University filed for union recognition with the National Labor Relations Board union recognition on Thursday. 

The group, called Tulane Workers United, said it sent President Mike Fitts a letter on Tuesday, asking for voluntary recognition and the chance to collectively negotiate a contract. The university did not respond, according to a press release announcing the filing.

The request comes amidst a surge of unionization efforts in higher education, according to William A. Hebert, executive director of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions.

Union recognition would allow contingent faculty — professors of practice, lecturers, visiting assistant professors and instructors — to collectively bargain over salary and related benefits, teaching loads and contract details, according to the press release. 

“I have taught at Tulane for over a decade and I hope that a faculty union can be a valued partner with the university to improve shared governance, economic security, and academic freedom for all those who teach and do research at Tulane,” Casius Pealer, professor of practice in the School of Architecture, said in the release. 

This is a developing story.