Strike ends, tentative agreement  reached with UIC faculty union

Dear faculty, staff and students, 

UIC is pleased to announce it has reached a tentative agreement on a final contract with UIC United Faculty, the labor union representing the bargaining units of tenure/tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty with 51% time or more, including visiting faculty, at UIC. The agreement is subject to ratification by the union’s membership and approval by both parties. Details of the agreement will be provided after ratification. 

With a tentative agreement attained, UICUF’s strike will conclude and all classes and labs will be held without further interruption. 

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. 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. The negotiation teams for UIC and UICUF and the independent federal mediator deserve credit for their steadfast work to reach a resolution. 

UIC values the faculty for their talent, dedication and key role in upholding and championing the university’s academic and research missions. This bargaining agreement recognizes their critical contributions.

Differing opinions are entrenched in labor contract negotiations but based on the shared principles between all involved, the university is eager to continue the spring semester as planned.   

Sincerely,  

Javier Reyes  
Interim Chancellor  

Karen Colley  
Acting Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs