Three unions set strike date
PDF Three of the four unions in contract negotiations have set a strike date for Nov. 3.
Leadership of the Faculty Association, Non-Tenure Track Faculty Association and the Association of Civil Service Employees said the unions will strike if a settlement has not been reached by then.
The Departmental Representative Council for the FA voted Thursday 29-1 to strike, and both the Executive Council of the ACSE and the House of Delegates for the NTTFA voted unanimously Friday. The Graduate Assistants United union is scheduled to vote today.
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Chancellor Rita Cheng said since the bargaining teams continue to meet and discuss alternative language on key outstanding issues, setting a strike date is inappropriate.
“Whether this gets settled by Nov. 3 depends on both teams bargaining in good faith,” she said in an email Sunday.
The four Illinois Education Association unions have been without contracts since June 2010 when their previous ones ended.
Cheng said the university will take appropriate measures if the unions do strike.
“The university has a responsibility to our students, and we have plans in place to ensure that students continue their education with minimum disruptions if the unfortunate happens and some faculty and staff decide to take job actions,” she said.
ACSE President Cyndi Kessler-Criswell said in a press release sent Friday the civil service union is hopeful they will not have to strike and a suitable agreement can be reached through the bargaining process.
NTTFA President Anita Stoner said negotiations have gone on too long, and a deadline needed to be set in order to reach an agreement.
Dave Johnson, DRC Chair for the Faculty Association, said in a press release sent Thursday the union’s goal is not to strike but rather to get a fair settlement that promotes quality education.
“We’ve shown great patience in waiting this long,” the press release stated. “We have offered many different proposals in hopes of bridging the gap between the FA and the SIUC administration, and it is now time for the administration to show similar flexibility in order to allow us to reach an agreement and avert a strike.”
