Chicago State University strike ends after staff union reaches agreement with administration

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chicago State University strike has ended after the faculty and staff union reached and agreement with the school's administration, the union said in a statement on Sunday.

Classes are expected to resume on Monday.

The announcement came after faculty members took to the picket lines on Monday.

UPI Local 4100 members said they've been negotiating for nearly year. And, while progress was made in other areas, they questioned the university's claims that it can't afford to meet the union's salary demands.

"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," CSU UPI Chapter President Dr. Valerie Goss said in a statement. "Most importantly, this agreement ensures that our members can make up critical time we lost supporting our students during the strike through extended office hours, tutoring sessions, registration meetings, exam sessions, and other services."

The university also issued a statement, saying, "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."

Details of the agreement will not be provided until all members have had the opportunity to review it and a ratification vote is held. If approved, the agreement will take effect immediately, the union said.

Goss' full 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 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.
"Our faculty and staff look forward to being back in our classrooms tomorrow."

Full CSU statement:

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.