04 Jan Start the new year with ACTION
for a better 2023 at UIC!
- Bargaining resumes Thursday 1-4pm in SCE White Oak Room
- Sign up for a picket shift!
- Informational picketing & picket captain trainings Tues 1/10 and Wed 1/11
- Special member meeting Thurs 1/12 at 5pm in SCE Cardinal Room
As we prepare for the spring semester, we’re also preparing for our final bargaining sessions and potential strike. (Less than 2 weeks away!) We have several actions during the first week of classes that we want all union members to participate in. This is our final chance to show our power, win a fair contract, and avert a strike:
Bargaining: Bargaining starts again this Thursday. We have 5 sessions currently scheduled before the 17th:
Thurs 1/5, 1-4pm in SCE White Oak Room
Fri 1/6, 1-4pm in SCW 206AB
Mon 1/9, 9am-12pm in SCE White Oak Room
Tues 1/10, 9am-12pm in SCE White Oak Room
Thurs 1/12, 2:30-4pm in SCW 206AB
As we enter the final stages of bargaining, we strongly encourage all members to attend bargaining IN PERSON rather than remotely. Now is the time for everyone to do a little bit extra to increase our chances of avoiding a strike. Attending in person communicates our power to the administration and shows support for our bargaining team. If you do need to join remotely, email union staff for the link.
Informational Picketing: To warm up our picketing skills and raise awareness about contract bargaining, we’ll be picketing Tuesday 1/10 12:30-1:30pm at Student Center East (west entrance) and Wednesday 1/11 10-11am outside UH. We encourage all members to attend at least one of the pickets. If you have not participated in a strike before, this will help you know what to expect.
Picket Captain Training: Before each informational picket (Tuesday 1/10 12-12:30 at SCE and Wednesday 1/11 9:30-10 at UH), we will have a half hour training for picket captains. Even if you aren’t sure you want to be a picket captain, you should come to this training! We’ll discuss picket line safety & organization, legal rights, chant leading techniques, and more.
Poster and Art Making: In preparation for the informational pickets and possible strike, we’ll have a poster and art making session Monday 1/9 2-4pm in the Writing Center (Grant Hall). Come to make art, have fun, and hang out with other union members!
Special Member Meeting: Just after our final scheduled bargaining session on Thursday 1/12 at 5pm in the SCE Cardinal Room, we’ll hold a meeting for all union members to discuss the status of bargaining and whether we will need to strike.
You can add all of these events to your calendar from the UICUF calendar: https://uicunitedfaculty.org/calendar/.
Get Ready to Strike
While we don’t want to strike, we need to be ready if it’s necessary. Here are a few things you can do to prepare:
- Sign up for picket shifts: All union members should sign up for shifts on the picket lines the week of the 17th. Shifts last for one hour, and picketing will go from 10am to 3pm each day of the strike.
- Sign up to be a picket captain: https://forms.gle/WVThizWzzsP9S5ui8
- Get union swag! To keep you warm on the picket lines, we have new knit UICUF caps. Come to any of the events listed above to get a union t-shirt, cap, and/or button
- Talk to your students about a possible strike – keep your eyes out for an FAQ for students that we’ll send later this week.
In Solidarity,
The UIC UF Bargaining team
Xochitl Bada (Associate Professor, Latin American and Latino Studies) | Aaron Krall (Senior Lecturer, English) | Andy Baker (Clinical Assistant Professor, Music) | Anna Kornbluh (Professor, English) | Becky Bonarek (Lecturer, Tutorium in Intensive English) | Charitianne Williams (Senior Lecturer, English) | Gosia Fidelis (Associate Professor, History) | Ian Collins (Clinical Assistant Professor, Daley Library) | Jim Drown (Senior Lecturer, English) | Jeff Gore (Senior Lecturer, English) | Kate Floros (Clinical Associate Professor, Political Science) | Kate Lowe (Associate Professor, Urban Planning and Policy) | Kevin O’Brien (Clinical Associate Professor, Library of the Health Sciences) | Laurie Quinn (Clinical Professor, Biobehavioral Nursing Science) | Nicole Nguyen (Associate Professor, Educational Policy Studies) | Paul Preissner (Professor, Architecture)