Faculty halt strike at University of Illinois-Chicago after deal

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The college faculty at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) went on strike last week over pay issues and the provision of mental health services for students. But they reached a late night deal with the university administration on Monday, January 23 to return to class.

The university administration and the faculty union, the University of Illinois-Chicago United Faculty (UICUF) agreed to a new contract to raise the minimum salary of faculty to $60,000 a year, in addition to stronger job protections for non-tenure track faculty, and a non-contractual commitment for mental health services for students. Classes, which were not being taught due to the strike for almost a week, resumed on the same day with the anticipation that the union would approve the new contract through a ratification vote. After the vote is official, the contract will expire in August 2026.

The negotiations were ongoing since April 2022.

UIC, in a statement, said, “This is the end of a long negotiation process. The parties were able to find common ground on an overall contract that addresses various faculty concerns and bridges the gap in compensation offers.” UIC added, “However, there may be challenging financial times ahead that will require further collaboration with our faculty, staff and administrative leadership to control or reduce costs, as well as improve the retention and graduation rates of our students, to enhance the financial stability of the institution.”