Noem signs ban on faculty union into law

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — Gov. Kristi Noem on Thursday signed a law that will ban faculty unions at state universities starting in July.

The law will stop university faculty from collective bargaining in their contracts with the Board of Regents. There are about 1,400 faculty spread across six universities in the state. The law does not include teachers at the state's special education schools for blind and deaf students.

Proponents of the bill argued it would give the universities more flexibility in hiring “professors of practice” — people who do not hold advanced degrees but have work experience. The union said the ban will have far-reaching effects on their ability to settle disputes with management and the universities' ability to attract new professors.

Noem signed six other bills into law on Thursday as the legislative session neared an end.