Non-tenure track faculty can now go on strike tomorrow as a result from the vote Wednesday.

Anita Stoner, president of the Non-Tenure Track Faculty Association and visiting assistant professor in the School of Journalism, said 83 percent of the eligible voters – dues-paying members – approved the ballot.

The ballot asked whether or not the members would authorize the association’s House of Delegates to set a strike date if there was not a ratified collective bargaining agreement and if the association’s bargaining team recommended to do so.

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Stoner said it is a sad situation that there had to be a strike authorization but the approval shows people want to be protected by the union.

“It is a win for collective bargaining,” she said.

Stoner said 81 percent of members voted.

The vote does not necessarily mean the union will strike but is the last legal step toward a strike under the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act.

Cheng said there has been bargaining progress with the union.

The NTTFA is the last of the four Illinois Education Association unions at the university that are in negotiations to vote to authorize a strike. The unions have been negotiating contracts since June, 2010 when the previous contract ended.

See Thursday’s Daily Egyptian for more on this story. 

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Sarah Schneider can be reached at [email protected] or 536-3311 ext. 255.