Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty Negotiations Update 4.12.26

Publish Date

2026-04-12

Dear UIS Community:

Contract negotiations between the University and the union representing tenured and tenure-track faculty continued this weekend with four hours of discussions on Saturday and a short meeting on Sunday. The parties plan to meet again on Monday.

The University entered the weekend having reached tentative agreements on two key issues (parking and professional development) identified as priorities by the union. On Saturday, April 11, the University presented a comprehensive package proposal intended to resolve all outstanding issues and is awaiting a counterproposal from the Union. Regarding compensation in particular, the Union has made very little movement throughout April, while the University has shown movement at least five times.

The University remains ready to continue negotiations and is hopeful for a productive meeting Monday.

It is our understanding that some members of the union will continue to engage in a work stoppage. Students should continue attending classes unless they have been notified that their class has been canceled. It is the University’s expectation that classes taught by faculty who are not members of this union will proceed as scheduled. In addition, some faculty who are members of this union may opt not to participate in a work stoppage.

Outstanding Issues

As mentioned in our Friday email to campus, compensation remains a key outstanding issue in negotiations. The University is limited in what it can offer due to a projected $19 million annual deficit this fiscal year.

For at least the past four years, the faculty represented by this union have been eligible to receive the same merit-based increases as other faculty, staff and administrators through the University Salary Program, while also receiving more than $800,000 in additional compensation through one-time payments of $1,500 and compression/equity increases. 

UIS faculty across all ranks are the fifth-highest paid among faculty at the 12 public universities in Illinois, according to the National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education System (IPEDS). When not considering R1 research-intensive universities, UIS faculty are the third-highest paid in the state. The current median salary for bargaining unit members with a nine-month contract (approximately 20 workdays per month) is approximately $86,000, not including summer stipends or service-in-excess agreements, which can substantially increase an individual’s earnings. Approximately 1/3 of the faculty members in this union earn over $100,000 annually. 