A high-ranking legislator who chairs a committee that oversees state funding to colleges and universities said the University of Illinois Springfield administration should do more to end the ongoing faculty strike.
Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, appeared at a rally with striking faculty on Wednesday morning. Ford, who also serves as Chairman of the Illinois House Higher Education Appropriations Committee, said he was meeting with Chancellor Janet Gooch to encourage her to meet with the union members and settle the strike.
“I just think that the chancellor should definitely show her support for this wonderful institution,” Ford said. “I think the students on this campus…. It's a shame that they have to see something like this because it makes them fearful to get into the workforce because of worries about being treated fairly.”
When asked about that scenario, a UIS spokesman said "The chancellor is not a member of the UIS bargaining team and does not participate directly in bargaining sessions. However, she is closely involved and actively engaged in the process, receiving regular updates and remaining invested in reaching a fair and equitable agreement. She cares deeply about the university, the faculty and staff and students and continues to stay engaged and respond when appropriate."
Tenured and tenure-track faculty began striking April 3. Their contract expired in August. Negotiations since then have failed to produce an agreement. The union is asking for a roughly 3% pay raise, while the administration has countered with 1%.
UIS officials say the campus is projected to face a $19 million deficit this fiscal year amid a continuing struggle to boost enrollment and that it cannot afford to meet the union demands.
“I see the budgets and I see that this is an unnecessary strike,” said Ford, who started his career as a public school teacher and is currently running to replace Cong. Danny Davis. “The workers are asking for a fair contract so they can provide for their families. It’s not unreasonable.”
While almost daily bargaining sessions have taken place this month, UIS United Faculty President Dathan Powell said the administration is failing to negotiate in good faith. He also wants the chancellor to sit down at the table.
“What we've heard from the chancellor directly is that she's the decision maker for this campus, and so what we're experiencing in negotiations is a level of administrator below her who are telling us that they have the power to make decisions. Yet when we press upon them, with counteroffers and various conversations, we see that they don't appear to be empowered to make any changes because they have not presented those to us,” Powell said.
“So, if the Chancellor is the decision maker that she says she is, we believe that it's going to take her involvement to move this to the endgame.”
This work stoppage is the longest in UIS history. The last strike happened in 2017 and was settled after five days. The rally Wednesday also featured Pat Devaney, secretary-treasurer of the Illinois AFL-CIO, and former UIS student, now therapist, Jayde Johnson, who credited faculty with helping establish her career.
"That was not done by those in administrative offices by top paid employees. That's why I stand with faculty and staff fighting for fair wages," she said. Johnson added maintaining a quality level of education is important for the campus to keep attracting students.
Not all professors are part of the union, and some classes have continued being held during the strike. The spring semester ends in early May.
“It's our sincerest hope that we'll be back in the classroom before we hit finals week and that our faculty are prepared to make up the work that's been missed and work with students, hand in glove, to get to that finish line,” Powell said. “We want them to finish the semester strong.”
