Catherwood LibraryILR School

Faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago are preparing for another possible strike while the administration adamantly reaffirms that it cannot meet the demands presented by the union. The University?s Provost, Lon Kaufman, attributes the administration?s hesitation to commit to too much to future cuts in state funding of 12.5%. The union is asking for 3% wages in each of the next two years and 4.25% increase this year. The union of 1,150 tenured and non-tenured faculty is prepared to strike indefinitely, starting before the semester ends, if an amenable contract is agreed to by both sides. The administration has thus far not offered a detailed counter-proposal regarding pay. One of the only other issues left in contention regards the minimum pay for adjunct professors, fueled by the recent coverage of adjuncts at other universities unable to live on their pay while teaching more courses than some full-time, tenured professors. More negotiation sessions are scheduled and a federal mediator has been involved since November, but whether a contract will be reached is still uncertain.