On Sunday, April 16, 2023, Chicago State University’s faculty and staff union reached a tentative agreement with the university administration ending their strike. Classes at Chicago State resumed Monday morning. After months of negotiations, faculty at Illinois' only predominantly black university, Chicago State decided to strike on April 3rd. Faculty say issues surrounding compensation and workload are at the heart of their demands.
Chicago State University’s UPI Chapter President, Dr. Valerie Goss said in a statement, "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 for the 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.
Chicago State University also issued a statement saying, “Chicago State University is pleased to announce that it has reached a tentative agreement with the University Professionals of Illinois, Local 4100 and that the strike has been suspended. Union faculty and academic support staff will return to work on Monday, April 17th. The tentative agreement addresses a range of considerations including wages, workload and parental leave and accomplishes the goals of both parties to reach an agreement that recognizes the valuable contributions of the faculty and academic support professionals with appropriate consideration for the fiscal position of the University. We look forward to continuing our collective and collaborative work in service to our students and the University community.”
Union officials said details of the agreement would not be provided until all members had a chance to review it and a ratification vote is held. If approved the agreement goes into effect immediately.
Danielle Sanders is a multimedia professional with over 20 years of experience as a writer, journalist, and editor. Danielle frequently covers politics, local news, and entertainment.