Strike is suspended; Classes will resume on Monday
The faculty and staff who are members of the Chicago State University chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois (CSU UPI, Local 4100) suspended their strike today after the union’s bargaining team reached a tentative agreement with CSU administration. The strike began on Monday, April 3 and lasted for 10 days. CSU UPI Chapter President Dr. Valerie Goss said:
“We are pleased to report that, after many additional hours of intensive bargaining over the weekend, our union and CSU administration have resolved the issues remaining on the table and reached a tentative four-year agreement.
“Our team has worked diligently to secure an agreement that provides pay increases for our world-class faculty and staff, while recognizing the university’s financial constraints.
“Most importantly, this agreement ensures that our members can make up critical time we lost supporting our students during the strike through extended office hours, tutoring sessions, registration meetings, exam sessions, and other services. From Day 1, our dedicated faculty and staff have prioritized student needs, so this component was essential to reaching an agreement.
“Our members never wanted to strike, but being forced to do so has made us more unified and stronger than ever. I thank all of our amazing members, students, and supporters who stood up and spoke out with us every step of the way. “Our faculty and staff look forward to being back in our classrooms tomorrow.” Union members will return to work on Monday, April 17. Details of the agreement will not be provided until all members have had the opportunity to review it and a ratification vote is held. If approved, the agreement will take effect immediately.The Chicago State University chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois (IFT Local 4100) represents about 160 faculty, instructors, academic support professionals and technical support staff at Chicago State University. They are affiliated with the Illinois Federation of Teachers.
