02 May UICUF Members Ratify New 4 Year Contract
- UICUF members voted almost unanimously (99%) to ratify a new 4-year contract
- Faculty won significant improvements on pay and working conditions
- Contract now goes to administration for signing
- Some issues not addressed by the contract will be brought to the Faculty Senate
Faculty Approve a New Contract
After nearly a year of bargaining, faculty and administration negotiators reached a tentative agreement on contract terms last Monday, averting a potentially disruptive strike near the end of the academic year. The agreement, hailed as a major win for faculty by our bargaining team and leadership, requires approval by all parties involved before taking full effect. This week, UICUF members gave that approval via a ratification election, in which voters signalled near-unanimous (99%) support for the deal.
Contract Highlights
The contract is a 4-year agreement, covering the 2018-19 academic year retroactively, and continuing through August, 2022. Union members will enjoy significant improvements to both pay and working conditions during its implementation. You can listen to UICUF President, Janet Smith, and Bargaining Chair, Aaron Krall, discuss the contract at length in this extended interview by UIC Radio host and faculty member Kate Floros. Here are some highlights from the agreement:
In bread-and-butter financial terms, we’ve won:
- 4% raise pools (2% merit, 2% compression/equity) for each year of the contract
- Increased minimum salary from $42K to $50k, and established salary floors for all ranks
- $600 increases in professional development funds for all faculty
In terms of workplace rights, we’ve won:
- Workload protections rooted in strengthened shared governance processes
- A faster pathway to longer multi-year contracts, and earlier reappointment notifications for NTT faculty
- Fair and transparent steps for positive progressive discipline
Next Steps
The contract will now go to the university’s administration to sign. This should be a straightforward process, but the union will monitor to ensure timely action. It is our hope that administration will act quickly to sign the agreement, so that new rules can be implemented, and retroactive raise pools can be distributed.
There are several issues we had hoped to address through the contract, but which appeared to be more appropriately brought up in the UIC Senate. These issues include:
- The possibility for NTT faculty to apply for sabbaticals
- Creating Teaching Professor ranks analogous to those used at UIUC
- A transparent and actionable process for addressing academic freedom violations
UICUF will continue to pursue these issues in the coming weeks and months, as we simultaneously work to inform members of new rights, and ensure implementation of contract provisions by administrators. Faculty are encouraged to contact us via UICUnitedFaculty@gmail.com if you have any questions about the new contract!
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