Illinois State University administrators and ISU's faculty union made progress toward a contract by reaching several tentative agreements in their most recent negotiation session.
With ISU on the brink of a faculty strike that could begin April 4, the United Faculty of ISU and university administration also agreed to increase the number of bargaining meetings. The union represents around 650 tenured and tenure-track faculty.
In their 44th negotiation session on Friday, ISU and the union reached tentative agreements on several noneconomic issues, including workload, assignment of duties, and identification of union representatives.
"We secured hard won protections that will help stop the workload creep that has been resulting in an increase in our expected duties without an increase in compensation," the union said in a social media post.
"The focus is now primarily on economic issues such as compensation and parental leave," the university said in a statement.
This most recent negotiation panel didn’t involve a mediator, following an executive order March 14 that reduced the scope and size of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service [FMCS], and ended support to public-sector negotiations.
Without a mediator, the university believes the parties “have developed a productive working relationship that will allow negotiations to continue without the involvement of a mediator,” as Illinois State and the union move toward a contract.
Two additional negotiation sessions have been scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday, adding to the already scheduled Wednesday and Friday meetings.
In a status update, ISU administrators they “look forward to continued engagement with UFISU to reach an agreement that demonstrates the value we place on our faculty, while also ensuring that the University remains fiscally prudent, resilient, and sustainable for the long-term.”