Members of the Nassau Community College professors union said Wednesday they would take legal action if the administration failed to advance promotions and tenure appointments — the latest salvo in an ongoing feud between the two sides that has boiled over in numerous public disputes.

The union members, speaking at a news conference at the Nassau County Legislature building in Mineola, alleged the college's chief administrative officer and acting president,  Maria Conzatti, has failed to present tenure and promotion recommendations for about 15 faculty members to the college’s board of trustees.

The recommendations were made by a committee of faculty and campus administrators in February and March. The board makes the final decision, union officials said. Failing to advance the recommendations is "unprecedented" and violates the terms of their collective bargaining agreement, union officials said.

"These professors don’t do this job for the money," David Stern, the union’s acting president, said. "They do it because they care about our students. They care about making NCC a great place to obtain a quality education and all they ask in return is to be shown some decency and respect that they deserve."

But Jerry Kornbluth, vice president of the Office of Community and Governmental Relations, dismissed the union's threat as "an effort to try to make the administration and president look bad."

Kornbluth said Conzatti would present recommendations for sabbaticals at a board of trustees meeting on Thursday. Promotions and tenure recommendations will move forward at a meeting in June, he said.

Kornbluth said the promotion and tenure appointments are being delayed due to an ongoing investigation into "potential irregularities on the promotion process," which he expects will be resolved by next month. He did not elaborate on the nature of the investigation.

Stern said the union was not made aware of the June meeting and called the investigation "bogus." In a letter to the administration and their lawyers, the union's attorney, Jessica Harris, said if all faculty recommendations were not submitted at Thursday's meeting, "the Union will be immediately filing a grievance concerning NCC’s blatant and continuing violations of the contract."

The union's contract expires on Aug. 31. This latest dispute comes in the midst of contract negotiations.

It also comes amid a legal battle launched by the union last year over the college's decision to eliminate 15 academic department chairpersons, which it had argued violated state education regulations and would harm the quality of education. The consolidation effort, which took effect last August, reduced the number of departments from 21 to six.

A judge dismissed the union's lawsuit in February. The union is appealing.

And just days before the appeal was filed in state Supreme Court, union leadership called on the state comptroller to audit the college’s finances, alleging "potential fiscal mismanagement." A spokesperson for the comptroller’s office said the request was still being reviewed.