The faculty union at the University of Illinois at Chicago delivered their intent to bargain a new faculty contract to new UIC Provost Javier Reyes yesterday. This marks the first step in the bargaining process. The current UIC United Faculty (UICUF) contract expires August 15th, 2022. “Faculty have struggled to cover the institutional gaps that in the last two years have been made so apparent in UIC’s infrastructure,” said Aaron Krall, Acting UIC UF President and Co-chair of UICUF’s bargaining committee. “This new contract is an opportunity for leadership at UIC to work together and create a stronger, more resilient university for our entire community.”

Unlike many universities across the nation, UIC has continued to grow during the pandemic, and in many ways faculty have had to step in to shoulder new demands and greatly increased workloads without appropriate institutional support. “We submitted our intent to bargain today because our members want to engage and request transparency in how the university budget is distributed, how funds are managed, and where the money is allocated to enhance the teaching and research mission of the university,” said Xóchitl Bada, Co-chair of UICUF’s bargaining committee.

The union will propose contract measures to strengthen support for students, increase mentoring and career advancement opportunities for faculty; protect faculty from bullying, harassment, and discrimination in the workplace; outline a clear and fair disciplinary process; and make faculty input more concrete at all levels of university governance.