Adjunct professors at Loyola Marymount University in California have opted not to submit their petition for a union election from the National Labor Relations Board, delaying their union bid for at least another six months, Inside Higher Ed reported.

Organizers at the University withdrew their petition, after several months of trying to build a strong union to address the issues adjunct faculty face on the job, including low pay, no job security and "a lack of respect for the integral role they play on their campuses," according to Adjunct Action, an advocacy group.

The union bid was delayed once already once already after organizers filed an unfair labor practice claim saying that that Loyola Marymount administrator were interfering in the process. They cited a series of information meetings on unions hosted "by their individual colleges," Inside Higher Ed reported.

Emily Hallock, an adjunct professor of political science at Loyola Marymount and an organizer, told Inside Higher Ed that organizers withdrew both the complaint and the election petition because the administrative influence in the unionization process "shrank the pool of willing witnesses" for NLRB's investigation into unfair labor practices.

Adjunct organizers will instead focus on more education and outreach efforts before they apply for an election again. Hey must wait at least six months to apply again, according to NLRB policy.

A university spokesman told Inside Higher Ed that NLRB had begun investigating the interference charges "but did not present [Loyola] with any evidence to support them."

Adjuncts at Loyola Marymount are trying to form a union affiliated with the Service Employees International Union.