Chicago, IL – On January 22, the United Faculty Union of the University of Illinois at Chicago ended a four-day strike, winning major improvements for the 1500 full time, tenured and non-tenured faculty represented by the union. The strike has brought more than 300 days of negotiations to a close.

The stated goals of the strike centered around a few key points in the negotiations, chief among them, increased starting pay for faculty across the board, and stronger mental health support for students and faculty.

Despite publicly and repeatedly claiming that it didn’t have the money to pay for these improvements, the UIC administration has in part or in whole given into each of both of these demands. Starting non-tenured faculty pay, previously far below public school teachers, has now increased by $9000 a year, with tenure-track faculty seeing a smaller but still significant raise as well.

While the university refused to include a commitment to free mental health screenings for students in the contract with UF, the union has forced them to make a public commitment to expanding mental health services for students to the tune of millions over the next six years.

These victories came after consistent and overwhelming support from both local and national unions as well as the UIC student body. The first day of the strike saw a rally of over 500 students, faculty and supporters. Speakers ranging from Stacey Davis Gates of the Chicago Teachers Union and Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers to mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson and Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez stood in solidarity with UF.

The second day of the strike members of SDS and other progressive student groups spoke alongside youth activist and candidate for the first district council elections in the county, William “The Kid” Guerrero.

Liz Rathburn, president of SDS attacked the administration’s union busting propaganda and emphasized student-faculty unity. “Admin sent out lying, anti-union emails to the whole student body; up to the last hour of bargaining they were trying to poison the well and divide us from our professors. I’m here to say that they have failed. Your students are with you!” Students and faculty then led a march of more than 300 people into the second to last bargaining session, filling the room.

The next two days saw numbers on the picket lines hold steady. Large student contingents bolstered faculty ranks, with the UIC marching band, instruments in tow, coming out in force to support the union. More union officials, and a coalition of progressive elected officials gave speeches on Thursday and Friday, with a civil disobedience training preparing faculty to disrupt the board of trustees meeting in the event the strike continued.

Bargaining over the weekend went on well into the night, with the union ending the strike five minutes before midnight Sunday, January 22. Students and faculty woke up to the news that the faculty has won a victory against the greed of the UIC administration. A ratification vote for the tentative agreement will be held by the union within the next week.

When asked to sum up the effect the strike has had on the UIC student body, third year English major and SDS member Erin Boyle said this, “Many of my classmates weren’t clear about how or why unions operated, or what a picket line was, much less that they could be crossing one. Then this showed them the power of collective action and directly combatting an exploitive job economy that as students we’re dreading to enter if we haven’t already. The faculty union’s fight for the common good, for all of us, is a beacon of hope for me.”

#ChicagoIL #strike #UniversityOfIllinoisChicagoUIC #Strikes

Chicago IL -The United Faculty union at the University of Illinois at Chicago went out on strike, January 17. United Faculty (UF) represents the 1500 full-time tenured and non-tenured faculty at the university. The strike announcement comes after nearly 300 days of negotiations between the administration and UF.

The union is demanding an increase in starting pay for non-tenured faculty, improved access to mental health resources for students and faculty and stronger protections for survivors of sexual assault and harassment.

In emails sent out to the whole student body, the university administration claimed it simply can’t afford the additional $17 million in expenses needed to raise wages and provide the same mental health services as the Urbana-Champaign campus. Bargaining has revealed that on top of its nearly $4 billion-dollar annual budget, the university has $1 billion in unspent reserves.

Members of the local SDS chapter have joined the picket lines, along with more than 500 students and workers, in support of their faculty. When asked why he supported the faculty strike, Apollo Blair, a third-year architecture student and a member of SDS, said this, “Our professors didn’t want to go on strike. The administration refusing to give in to perfectly reasonable demands just for their own greed has made it impossible for our faculty to keep working. We stand behind our faculty and their demands 100%. They make UIC work.”

#ChicagoIL #strike #UniversityOfIllinoisChicagoUIC #Strikes

Chicago, IL – On Saturday, September 19, members of SEIU Local 73 continued their strike at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), rallying with community and labor allies. The 4000 workers say they are fighting for UIC to “respect us, protect us and pay us” and have vowed to remain on strike until their demands are met.

The Illinois Nurses Association (INA) finished their seven-day strike at UIC today, although co-chief steward Paul Pater announced that an agreement has not yet been reached, saying, “If we don’t have significant movement when we get back to the table on Monday, we’re going to authorize a vote for a strike, and they are terrified of that, us coming out again with you all.”

Safe staffing, workplace safety, and access to PPE are among the primary issues in the strike. For SEIU Local 73 members, a living wage is also a key demand, as some workers at UIC continue to be paid much less than Chicago’s minimum wage.

Dozens of cars passed by the rally in solidarity with the striking workers, part of a caravan organized by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression for the national day of protest calling for an end to police crimes and community control of police. The strike at UIC has centered the struggle against the oppression of Black people, and the rally enthusiastically greeted the caravan.

Many labor unions were present in solidarity, including the Chicago Teachers Union, American Postal Workers, United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers, UIC Graduate Education Organization, and the National Association of Letter Carriers.

#ChicagoIL #SEIULocal73 #PeoplesStruggles #UniversityOfIllinoisChicagoUIC

Chicago, IL – Over 1000 University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) workers from SEIU Local 73 and the Illinois Nurses Association (INA) flooded the center of downtown Chicago, September 18, calling for Governor JB Pritzker to support their demands in the largest strike ever at the university.

The strike began last Saturday, September 12, when INA nurses walked out at UI Health, where UIC has refused to negotiate safe staffing limits. 4000 Local 73 workers bolstered the lines September 14, joining the strike, demanding safe working conditions, staffing and a living wage. Large rallies and lively picket lines have marked the past week as workers have continued to press their demands.

The march began early in the morning at Millennium Park and proceeded to outside Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s office at the Thompson Center, the State of Illinois office building.

Angie Ross, a medical office specialist in physical therapy at UIC fired up the large crowd. “We know our governor has the ability to do what’s right and help our union win this battle. We hope you take the chance to protect the workers of this state. My sisters and brothers, out here we will not stop fighting until UIC does what’s right by us.”

The rage at the disrespect, low wages and unsafe conditions was clear at picket lines and rallies throughout the past week. The strike is the largest since the start of the economic crisis, and the largest ever at UIC. The strike was born out of the same sentiment that launched the country-wide rebellion against police terror. UIC workers have gone beyond calling for improvements at work to demanding justice in their communities, with Black lives matter being a major slogan of the strike.

The message is clear: working people and the oppressed are sick and tired of being sick and tired.

In 2018 many unions, including SEIU Local 73, mobilized their members to support Pritzker for governor. At the time of writing, he has not issued any statement about the strike at UIC.

#ChicagoIL #SEIULocal73 #PeoplesStruggles #UniversityOfIllinoisChicagoUIC

SEIU Local 73 is gearing up to strike on September 14.

At the moment, SEIU 73 does not know whether any of these out-of-state workers were tested for the virus, let alone conducted the mandatory quarantine period for states reflected on the travel order.

“UIC is bringing in workers from states with higher COVID-19 transmission rates to break a strike from a workforce complaining that management risks worker and patient lives due to inconsistent COVID-19 safety protocol enforcement,” said Dian Palmer, SEIU Local 73 president. “We want to come to an agreement that is fair and just for UIC workers, but we’re also ready to strike. UIC workers are not only fighting for their livelihoods, but for their lives, the safety of their families, and the communities being served.”

UIC continues to drag its feet when it comes to COVID-19 protections and economics. Though SEIU Local 73 has had positive discussions about a $15 per hour minimum wage, UIC has not agreed to fully comply with Chicago's minimum wage law, nor have they promised the resources and protections needed to keep UIC workers, their families and the community safe.

By bringing in workers from states on the travel order, it is putting Chicago and its hospitals at risk while alienating their workers. If no agreement is reached, UIC workers will begin striking on Monday, September 14 at 6 a.m. SEIU Local 73 has filed unfair labor practices over UIC's conduct during negotiations. There has been no resolution to the claims and the union has moved forward with the intention to strike in its efforts to resolve the unfair labor practice charges and other worker concerns.

“This is making me and my coworkers upset. You're telling me you don't have the money for us? But you have $1200 to $3000 per week to bring in others from another state that's considered a hot spot? That's a slap in the face. Even with the money aside, I can't spend it if I'm dead. You call us essential workers, but you're putting our lives at risk by not giving us universal testing and protections and bringing in potentially infected people,” says Building Service Worker Monica Jones.

#ChicagoIL #SEIULocal73 #PeoplesStruggles #UniversityOfIllinoisChicagoUIC #Strikes

Chicago, IL – With more than 5000 protesters rallying outside, and hundreds inside, Donald Trump canceled his campaign event tonight, March 11, on the campus of the University of Illinois. Community groups, including the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, joined the demonstration.

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #ImmigrantRights #Labor #OppressedNationalities #WomensMovement #UniversityOfIllinoisChicagoUIC #Antiracism #Elections #DonaldTrump #DumpTrump

Chicago, IL – Thousands of protesters are rallying against Donald Trump tonight, March 11, on the campus of the University of Illinois (UIC). Community groups, including the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, have joined join the demonstration.

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #ImmigrantRights #StudentMovement #Labor #OppressedNationalities #WomensMovement #UniversityOfIllinoisChicagoUIC #Antiracism #Elections #DonaldTrump #DumpTrump

At the time of that struggle, state legislators, including Barack Obama, came to UIC for a hearing we called to address the communities’ charges of discrimination. Obama was quoted in the Chicago Tribune saying, “I recognize that in any institution there are going to be some glitches. But when you do get repeated complaints, that indicates that maybe we need some institutional change.”

Today, UIC is trying to undo the advances made through the years of struggle. For example, it is mostly white ‘academic professionals’ (APs) who are displacing union workers.

A special presentation was made at the DuSable by Professor Timuel Black, a 91-year old historian of the Black freedom struggle in Chicago. He showed the union members at UIC that they are continuing a century long struggle for full equality. Professor Black said, “The union gives us that opportunity to fulfill our hopes and dreams.”

Latino workers have also had their struggles with UIC. Maria Garcia, a customer service representative and a member of the Clerical/Administrative bargaining committee, explained that she is ready to fight. She pointed to “… inequity in treatment, wages, work-loads, management’s disregard for us, [asking us] to use our language skills selfishly without compensation. Also and most important, the lack of information we are given regarding our future and any attempt to give us a wage increase, in spite of the ridiculous salary imbalances.”

UIC won’t just face 2700 angry workers: they’ll be facing the Black and Latino communities that make up most of their employees, the patients in their medical center and many of their students.

#ChicagoIL #SEIULocal73 #AfricanAmerican #ChicanoLatino #UniversityOfIllinoisChicagoUIC

Chicago, IL – Between July 30 and August 2, 800 service and maintenance workers and 400 technical workers at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) will take strike votes. Bargaining for the two contracts has gone on since February and ground to a stop in the past several weeks.

On July 9 the negotiating committee for the technical unit walked out of bargaining. Andre Reed, a pharmacy technician, explained that the negotiation session was the first time they had met in one month. “Management promised if we took a one month break, they would have proposals on economics, but their representative, Steve Katz, came with nothing in his hands.”

Jerry Thomas, an equipment specialist in the College of Dentistry, described the reaction from the members of the committee when they caucused. “One worker said he was fed up and we should walk out and everyone else agreed. When we came back to the table and said we were walking, it was the first time that Katz looked like he cared about us at all.”

Management has agreed to federal mediation, but the committees have gone ahead and called for strike authorization votes for both units. A third bargaining unit of 1500 clerical workers voted by 84% in April to strike if contract can’t be reached with the help of the federal mediator. All three bargaining units are represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73.

Remzi Jaos, director for the Higher Education Division of Local 73, told the members in a letter mailed to everyone’s home, that either management negotiates “… a fair contract or [we] will strike together when the students return to campus for fall semester.” The first day of classes is Aug. 23.

Mood Changes Among Workers

Early this year, many workers were worried about their jobs in the economic crisis and were taken in by management’s claim of economic hardship.

Then in May, the University hired a new president for $620,000 a year. This is $170,000 above the salary of the outgoing president. In addition, newly installed President Hogan just doubled the salary for his assistant. White’s assistant made $107,500. Hogan will pay his new assistant almost double that: $195,000.

These outrageous increases happened while UIC laid off 40 union members during the spring. The number of building service workers is half what it was a few years ago, with each worker expected to take on more work. Technical workers are seeing more and more non-union, non-civil service employees taking their work. For clerical and administrative employees, the issue of job security issue is the top priority. In recent years, hundreds of civil service and union workers have been replaced by ‘academic professionals’: non-civil service employees.

#ChicagoIL #SEIULocal73 #UniversityOfIllinoisChicagoUIC

Chicago, IL – Voting was completed for the 1500 clerical workers at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73, April 16. The committee of co-workers elected last summer to negotiate a new contract had called for the vote. On the ballot was one thing: Should the committee be authorized to call a strike if a new contract could not be gained at the bargaining table?

The answer from the union members was quite clear. 84% said yes – a fair contract or strike.

Regina Russell, a member of the committee and a customer service representative from the UIC Medical Center (UICMC), said before the vote, “Workers in my department, Patient Access, are ready to strike.” Russell explained that the number of patients they register and whose insurance they must verify every hour was doubled last year. UICMC reported $5 million in profit in the first quarter of this year. “We registered 500,000 patients last year. How much of that profit do we account for?”

The situation in Patient Access was the same wherever workers worked collectively or in large numbers, such as the Daley Library, Patient Accounts, Health Information Management or the clinics. Those workers voted in large numbers and support for the strike authorization was almost unanimous.

Many workers were upset because management offered no raises in the contract, but got really angry when management eliminated the anniversary raises as well. These are 2% increases for most clerical workers have always been a part of civil service employment. Jennifer Edwards, a committee member, noted that, “The price of gas has risen, our health premiums have increased, everything has gone up. Management gave themselves a 2% raise at the start of the year, but then came to the table to say there was nothing for us.”

Workers overcome fear

A significant reason for those workers who voted “no” was the fear of the economic crisis. “We just have to be thankful we have a job,” said a number of workers. Sirlena Perry, a retired worker and longtime leader of the union who came to help staff the table for the vote, responded to this. “That’s just what management wants us to think. We can’t let the bosses do our thinking for us.”

Workers also had to overcome intimidation by management on the days of the vote. Polling places had been set up in common areas in University Hall, Daley Library and the Student Services Building. Campus police were called and ordered the union staff and members to leave the buildings. Many workers missed their chance to cast their ballot as a result. In November, the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) had staged a job action in the same common area in University Hall. With 80 people in that action, they filled the area for the entire day with their ‘work-in.’ The police allowed that protest to take place.

Urging workers to be strong, Perry told them, “We have made so many gains through the union, including when we won the struggle against the racist pay differentials ten years ago.” Perry was referring to the practice that the University engaged in from 1965 until 1998 of paying the mostly Black and Latino workforce in Chicago $1 or $2 an hour less than the mainly white workers in their downstate campus in Urbana. Local 73’s greatest victory at UIC was forcing equal pay rates for all campuses. “That was a huge fight, like the one we are facing now, and the lesson is clear – we can win if we fight,” she explained.

The other main issue in the negotiations is job security. UIC has replaced hundreds, perhaps over 1000 clerical workers in recent years with non-civil service, non-union staff. There has been a steady stream of layoffs largely as a result of this practice. Mainly these Academic Professional positions have occurred at the Medical Center and the College of Medicine. These are the wealthiest parts of the University, as the numbers of patients has increased almost 300% since 1991 and the growth in research grants has placed UIC as one of the top research institutions in the country. Plus there has been an explosion of enormous donations from wealthy physicians who have made fortunes through the system of for-profit medicine. The union’s demand that the employer make a commitment to end the erosion of union positions is the first priority in these negotiations.

Union Solidarity

Workers were also buoyed by the support they received from the members of Local 73 in two other contracts at UIC. Randy Evans, who works in Environmental Services at the Hospital, came in before his shift and began to help with turning out the vote. Also a member of the bargaining committee for 800 service and maintenance workers, Evans said, “Our negotiations are going nowhere also. We’re getting the same message, ‘Do more with fewer workers and no raises.’” Speaking for the service and maintenance workers, as well as the 400 technical workers in the hospital laboratories, Evans said that they are right behind the clerical workers.

The clerical workers are set to return to meet with management in federal mediation on April 28. Workers will rally outside those negotiations at lunchtime.

Maria Alvarez, a member of the committee and a worker in the Physical Therapy clinic, said, “We are going to win, just like the graduate employees did.” She was referring to the victory scored by the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) at UIC the previous week. After GEO announced their preparations for a strike, management engaged in a last ditch, 13-hour mediation session. As the student newspaper reported, management “blinked” and made concessions in pay and job security to avoid that strike.

Willie English, a former employee and now staff for SEIU Local 73, joined the final rally to support the GEO, and later commented, “They had only 1400 workers. Local 73 has 1500 clerks, and altogether 2700 members at UIC. We can have confidence that we will win, because in our unity of our numbers, we have strength.”

#ChicagoIL #UniversityOfIllinoisChicagoUIC #GraduateEmployeesOrganization #ServiceEmployeesInternationalUnionSEIULocal73