On February 26 at the UIS Student Union, the UIS Nontenure-Track Faculty Union, UIS Instructors United(UISIU), held a table event for their members to vote on a strike authorization. The union voted overwhelmingly in favor of authorizing a strike.
“Our members are coming out to vote whether to give the bargaining committee, and the union, power to call a strike if needed.” Said UIS English instructor and lead negotiator for the union, Jennifer Whalen.
In the wake of nearly a year of unsuccessful negotiating attempts with the University, the union members turned out and voted to authorize a strike.
According to Scott Fenton, a UIS English instructor, in the press release sent out by UISIU after the vote, “The vote does not guarantee a strike, but gives the union’s bargaining team the authority to call one if a fair agreement cannot be reached.”
On January 10, 2024, the UIS Nontenure Track Faculty Union (UIS Instructors United) was certified by the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board (IELRB). The union is a part of the University Professionals of Illinois (UPI) Local 4100. It represents all 40 full-time nontenure track faculty at the University of Illinois in Springfield.
Although it was officially certified this January, UIS Instructors United has been involved in negotiation talks with UIS since January 2024.
“We have been bargaining for about a year now and have not seen movement from the University for many of the issues that we organized around for our nontenure faculty.” Whalen explained.
In the UISIU press release, Fenton detailed some of the challenges the union has faced during the bargaining process, “Last fall, we were forced to demand federal mediation and file Unfair Labor Practice charges to pressure this administration to bargain in good faith, as required by law.”
Whalen insisted that the strike vote was a last resort, reached only after long months of failed negotiations.
“We don’t want to strike. We very much want to avoid that, but so far, our attempts at the bargaining table just have not resulted in a serious engagement from the University.” Whalen said.
Whalen shared some of the union’s demands, “Job security and multi-year contracts, minimum salaries, protections against changes in courseloads.”
She emphasized that these demands were not unprecedented, “These are things that exist at our sister campuses, so UIUC and UIC. We’re asking for UIS to show us the same value that the U of I system shows them.”
In addition to the items Whalen mentioned, UIS Instructors United is also asking for timely notice of reappointments, paths to promotion that create greater job security, and fair wages with consistent raises.
Full-time nontenure-track faculty at UIUC and UIC already receive these benefits.
UIS Instructors United has created a form for members of the UIS community to express support by clicking here to send a prewritten letter to Chancellor Gooch.
