A federal mediator will oversee bargaining between Illinois State University and the union that represents non-tenure track faculty members next week.
The Illinois State University Education Association [ISUEA} and ISU have been negotiating a new contract since March and in the time since, the most recent contract expired on June 30.
The association has about 100 people in its union membership, but represents around 500 full or part-time non-tenure track faculty across campus.
ISUEA president Sarah Hall said the main sticking point between the two groups has been financial.
"In the last 10 years, I would say generally speaking, wage growth in the United States and inflation has outpaced our salary growth as instructors at [ISU]," Hall said in an interview. "Our salary has not kept pace with those things — and it is just time that we are paid what we deserve."
In a news release, the union noted the national wage has outpaced that of ISUEA's wage increases by nearly 21%.
Speaking Friday, Hall added the union's bargaining team identified some peer institutions in the state that were providing non-tenure track faculty "a 12-15% increase over three years, essentially, and our offer from [ISU] was nowhere near that."
In a statement, ISU spokesperson Chris Coplan said the two groups are not at an impasse and, despite a lack of consensus on some issues — like wages — several tentative agreements already have been reached.
"We are hopeful that an impartial mediator's broad knowledge and input as a neutral participant will help reach a fair and fiscally responsible contract agreement that meets the needs of all stakeholders," the statement read.
The federal mediator — jointly agreed to by both the union and ISU — is slated to join the two groups to bargain at the IEA's Bloomington office on Aug. 14.
