DAily EGyptian Managing Editor

The SIUC administration and faculty negotiators agreed to a total media blackout on collective bargaining negotiations Thursday after meeting with a federal mediator from St. Louis.

Both teams met with Richard Kirkpatrick, a mediator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and at Kirkpatrick’s request signed an agreement to initiate a media blackout.

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The specifics of the agreement are unknown, but Jim Sullivan, faculty union president, said the faculty association will comply with the media blackout.

We’re going to comply to the more general edict of the media blackout, Sullivan said. We will not engage in public utterances while this process is going on.

It is unclear how long the gag order will exist, but an administration and faculty press release state that both parties will issue joint statements from time to time.

John Jackson, vice chancellor of Academic Affairs and provost, would not comment about the media blackout. Both Margaret Winters, spokeswoman for the administration, and Kirkpatrick were unavailable for comment.

Kirkpatrick, who also mediated on the rejected interim agreement in August, came to campus Thursday at both the administration’s and faculty’s request. The mediation marks the first step of a four point plan developed by faculty members. The plan authorizes union leadership to call for mediation, arbitration, and finally file an intent to strike notice. Union leaders will then meet to consider actions including, but not limited to, a strike.

The gag order comes on the heels of charges by both sides of negotiating in the media. Administrators have said Daily Egyptian advertisements and the faculty’s March informational picket represent bargaining in the media. Faculty union leaders also have said Sander’s rejected settlement package was bargaining in the media.

Although the association will comply with the blackout, Walter Jaehnig, faculty association media coordinator, said the association will still inform its membership through newsletters and other means.

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The blackout basically means Let’s focus on what is on the bargaining table and not get caught up in presenting our messages in a larger public, he said.