Non-Tenure Track Faculty Union Reaches Tentative Agreement with Administration
SPRINGFIELD – After a year of negotiating and assistance from a federal mediator, the full-time non-tenure track faculty who are members of UIS Instructors United (UISIU) reached a tentative contract agreement with the University of Illinois-Springfield administration last night. The deal came after a 10-hour marathon bargaining session on Tuesday and an intensive all-day session Wednesday, which narrowly averted the strike that was scheduled for this week.
“Our union negotiating team is glad to announce that we were able to reach a tentative contract agreement with Chancellor Gooch and her team,” said Scott Fenton, UIS English instructor and a member of the union negotiating team. “It has been a long and challenging road to secure this first agreement, but we are pleased that they worked with us in the end so we can stay in the classroom with our students. That is where we want to be."
"It is truly disappointing though that, once again, U of I leaders took an unnecessarily contentious approach to bargaining that sowed seeds of distrust between the union and administration," added John Miller, president of the University Professionals of Illinois. "We hope future bargaining will prove more respectful and amicable, which would be in the best interests of all parties, including students."
“From Day 1 of bargaining, student needs have been our union's top priority, and we have remained focused on what is necessary to provide them the best possible education," noted Fenton. "That requires an investment in faculty to ensure the campus can attract and retain the outstanding educators students deserve.
“Though it does not go far enough in some important areas, this tentative agreement includes basic improvements in workload and salary that better align our faculty’s working conditions with those of our colleagues on other U of I campuses. We see it is a stepping stone to critical future improvements for our members and the students we are so proud to teach. We are grateful to them both for their incredible support throughout the process.”
Details of the three-year agreement will not be released until union members and UIS leaders approve it. UISIU members are expected to vote on it by the end of the month.
The University Professionals of Illinois (UPI Local 4100) and represents more than 3,000 education professionals at seven of Illinois' 12 public universities. UPI is affiliated with the Illinois Federation of Teachers.
The Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) represents 103,000 teachers and paraprofessionals in PreK-12 school districts throughout Illinois, faculty and staff at Illinois’ community colleges and universities, public employees under every statewide elected constitutional officer, and retirees. IFT and our local unions are affiliated with the 1.8-million member American Federation of Teachers.
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