19 Feb UICUF Membership Meeting and Survey Extension
- Membership Meeting: Our Spring Membership Meeting is coming up next Wednesday, 2/26, 3:30-5pm, at Hull House. You can become a union member at the door!
- We will preview survey results, discuss upcoming officer elections, and launch a legislative advocacy campaign on UI budget equity
- Faculty Survey deadlines have been extended to midnight, Sunday 2/23 to give more time for faculty participation. Email us if you didn’t get one!
- UICUF Officer Elections will be held this April 13th and 14th for all elected positions in the union. Nomination forms are available on our website’s “People” page, and are due Monday, 3/30 by 5pm.
Member Meeting
UICUF holds a membership meeting each semester to inform and engage our members in the ongoing efforts of the union. Our Spring Membership meeting is coming up NEXT WEDNESDAY, 2/26/20, and we hope to see many of you there! As always, members will be welcome to stay after for a reception with light refreshments to meet their fellow members and the union’s leadership and staff. Membership meetings are members-only events, but anyone in our bargaining unit can sign up to join the union at the door if they wish to attend!
This semester, we will be sharing preliminary results from our Faculty Satisfaction Survey (deadline extended, see below for more details), and launching an advocacy campaign around creating greater inter-campus equity in the U of I system’s budgeting process. We have been told time and again in bargaining that the university has no money, even as it is clear that the system has plenty of money to spend on other priorities and in other places, where incidentally, our fellow unionists are also being told there is no money! Pushing for greater budget transparency and equity in distribution is not just a bureaucratic shuffle, but a necessary first step in pushing for a model that takes into account the distinct needs of UIC students, who require greater financial assistance on average than UIUC students to pursue their degrees. Taking a close look at the system’s budgeting model will also better position us to fight for the needs of students and faculty next time we’re at the bargaining table.
Faculty Survey Deadline Extended
As you’ve likely already noticed, we have been running a Faculty Satisfaction Survey over the last couple of weeks. While the survey was scheduled to close yesterday, we have chosen to extend the deadline through the weekend to allow more faculty to participate. This survey is open to all faculty in our bargaining unit, regardless of whether they are or are not a union member, and covers questions on shared governance, academic freedom and facilities. Your input will help us identify what is and isn’t working for faculty at UIC.
Check your email for the survey invitation, or contact us at UICUnitedFaculty@gmail.com if you need help getting access.
UICUF Officer Elections
We are currently accepting nominations for UICUF officers and Reps, with elections coming in April. Any faculty member who has signed up to be a UICUF member is eligible to vote or run for office. Nominations and endorsements should be submitted electronically via the forms below, which are also available on our website’s “People” page.
- Executive Board
- Representative Assembly:
Nomination forms must be submitted by 5pm, Monday, March 30th. The election will be conducted April 13th – 14th.
Benefits Highlight
As UICUF Members, you are entitled to benefits from all of our affiliate unions, including the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of Teachers, and the American Association of University Professors.
Today, we want to highlight a free program through the American Federation of Teachers that provides free identity theft protection to our members. In partnership with CLC ID Protect, AFT is offering basic identity theft protection through their website. This is just one of many free and reduced-price benefits our affiliates have to offer, and you can learn more about ways to save at https://www.unionplus.org/!
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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 better place to work and learn!
