14 Apr NTT Job Security Town Hall & Union Vaccine Distribution
- NTT Job Security Town Hall: Save the date for our NTT Job Security Town Hall, Wednesday, 4/28, from 4:30-6pm. There is much more UIC can do to prioritize NTT retention, and we’ll discuss how to make them do it. Sign up for updates if you want to hear more about these issues.
- Union Vaccine Distribution: The Chicago Federation of Labor will distribute Pfizer or Moderna vaccines on Sunday, 4/18, and Wednesday, 4/21. Appointments available for union members, and non-medical volunteers also needed to help. See details below.
- ULP Hearings: This week, we finally get a hearing on the administrations’ questionable methods in bargaining COVID impacts over the past year. At issue is their unwillingness to sign enforceable agreements, even on proposals they have announced as policy.
- SURS Solicitation Warning: Some members have recently reported being contacted by a retirement advisor via emails designed to imply they are officially endorsed by SURS. SURS advises all members to carefully read emails before agreeing to a consult.
Dear Members,
As a reminder, we are working on making NTT retention a priority for this coming academic year. NTT faculty are indispensable to UIC’s teaching and research mission, yet some are being threatened with non-renewal due to vaguely justified budget cuts, while many more have come to expect late renewal notices or none at all. We will be holding a Town Hall on Wednesday, 4/28, at 4:30pm to discuss these issues and what to do about them. We highly encourage all our members to join us if you’re able, regardless of whether you are Tenure Track or Non-Tenure Track, and to encourage your students to attend as well. We are also still collecting testimonials like the one above, and will work with you to craft one if you contact us at UICUnitedFaculty@gmail.com.
Union Vaccine Distribution and Volunteering
Our union colleagues at the Chicago Federation of Labor have arranged to distribute vaccines to union members, and will be holding clinics this coming Sunday and Wednesday:
- Sunday, April 18 at Cement Masons Local 502 (739 25th Ave, Bellwood, IL 60104) from 9AM – 3PM (Volunteers arrive at 7:30AM)
- Wednesday, April 21 at Painters District Council 30 (1905 Sequoia Drive Aurora, IL 60506) from 9AM – 3pm (Volunteers arrive at 7:30AM)
They will be distributing either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, and have reserved spots just for UICUF members, so if you have not been vaccinated and would like to get the shot, we highly encourage you to sign up. You may need proof of membership to enroll. If you need your membership number, email us at UICUnitedFaculty@gmail.com and we will look it up for you.
There are also non-medical volunteer opportunities to help with: directing traffic, checking patient temperatures, photocopying documents and ID’s, assisting with patient registration, form preparation/distribution, and directing patients within the event space. Parking will be available for volunteers, and all volunteers will receive a boxed lunch. In addition, all interested volunteers will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine the day of their shift. Please reach out to mroach@chicagolabor.org or 312-261-0171 with your full name, phone number, whether or not you want a vaccine and any dietary restrictions to sign up or with any additional questions. In addition, if you are bilingual and/or could bring a laptop to the clinic please let us know in your email.
You also may have heard that UIC students are now eligible to receive a vaccine through UI Health (accessible in their MyChart). While vaccines are not mandated for faculty or students at this time, we highly encourage you to get vaccinated and to share information about eligibility with your students.
ULP Hearings
This Thursday and Friday, the Illinois Education Labor Board will hold a hearing on the Unfair Labor Practice charges we filed against UIC Administration last summer. The charges speak to the administration’s failure to negotiate over COVID impacts, and in particular their unwillingness to reach written and enforceable agreements, even as they implemented policies under discussion at the bargaining table. While the hearings will take place this week, this process may take weeks or months to fully adjudicate. The administration has, for now, said they are unwilling to continue meeting and negotiating until after these hearings (which may represent a further illegal act on their part). We will report back on the proceedings and our expectations for future discussion of COVID issues as the process develops.
SURS Solicitation Warning
Recently, our members alerted us to growing incidents of unsolicited offers via email for retirement consultations. SURS has posted a warning on their website as well. These emails are apparently designed to lead SURS members to believe they are from official representatives or partners of the SURS system. They are not, and we advise members to proceed with caution before agreeing to a consultation.
The messages shared with us were from My403bonline.com, but the company owning this domain is known to use many others in ways that resemble a phishing scam operation. Our best advice is to pay attention to the domain of the sender of such emails, and not to trust domains you don’t recognize.
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We hold regular office hours from 12-1pm Wednesday and Thursday each week. Use the following links to add them to your calendar:
Wednesday 12-1pm | Thursday 12-1pm
We issue regular updates via email, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and on our website. We encourage everyone to like and follow us on social media. If you want to contribute your story, pictures, video, or other content related to the activities of the union, email us at UICUnitedFaculty@gmail.com. With your support, we are making UIC an even SAFER place to work and learn!