University Professionals of Illinois

Faculty and staff at Western Illinois University have voted to ratify a new employment contract. Western's Board of Trustees is scheduled to consider the agreement during a special meeting Friday.

Western Illinois University President Jack Thomas was in Idaho Thursday for a job interview. He is a finalist in the search for the next president of Boise State University.

Western Illinois University and the union representing the university's faculty and staff released a joint statement Tuesday night regarding their ongoing contract talks. The two sides said they are close to a reaching a tentative agreement following Monday's mediation session.

The union representing faculty and staff at Western Illinois University marched through the heart of campus Monday afternoon demanding a fair contract from the administration.

Faculty and staff at Western Illinois University have voted to authorize a strike. 

Members of the University Professionals of Illinois (UPI) Local 4100 will hold a strike authorization vote on the Macomb and Quad Cities campuses as contract talks with the administration drag on. The union represents faculty, advisors, admissions counselors, and other counselors, according to Chapter President Bill Thompson.

More than 150 Western Illinois University faculty, staff, and union supporters picketed in downtown Macomb Thursday. They want a fair contract for  Western's chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois.

During mediation, members of the union representing faculty and staff gather in one room and the administration is in another. The federal mediator goes back and forth between them. Much of what's discussed during mediation is confidential.

Teachers and some staff at Western Illinois University will begin the new year without a new contract.  They're in mediation with the administration and are working under terms of the previous contract, which expired over the summer.

A recent report on Tri States Public Radio cited the current impasse in salary negotiations between the University Professionals of Illinois (UPI) and the Western Illinois University (WIU) administration.  According to the report, there are several issues that have stood in the way of an agreement.  Among other issues, the administration asks to reduce compensation, increase furlough days, and eliminate the current contract use of "minima."

Western Illinois University's strategic plan, Higher Values in Higher Education, states, "Western Illinois University's highest priority is to increase faculty and staff salaries to meet and exceed the mean of peer institutions."  Faculty members reminded the school's Board of Trustees of that goal during the Board's most recent meeting.

The Western Illinois University administration and the union representing teachers and staff are headed to mediation after almost a year of contract negotiations.  The university's contract with the University Professionals of Illinois (UPI) expired over the summer so both sides continue to operate under the old agreement.

Western Illinois University has renewed the teaching contracts of more than 100 associate faculty members for the upcoming school year.

A few dozen faculty members from Western Illinois University gathered on the steps of Sherman Hall for a group photo on Friday, the eve of Illinois entering a third fiscal year without a state budget. The gathering was organized in an effort to show solidarity and support for the union's  Unit B faculty.

Western Illinois University is taking a wait-and-see approach to renewing the contracts of some of its professors for the fall semester. The decision follows the Illinois Legislature adjourning the spring legislative session without passing a state budget. Illinois is wrapping up the second fiscal year without a comprehensive spending plan.

College professors across Illinois will step away from their classrooms to rally in Springfield on Thursday, April 27. The event called Teach Out for Illinois Higher Education is in response to the state budget stalemate.

John Miller, President of the University Professionals of Illinois, Local 4100, said the six month spending plan passed by lawmakers and signed by the governor was poorly done and is not even a true budget. And he said it amounts to another cut for higher education.

Just a few weeks remain in the fiscal year and Western Illinois University is preparing to wrap up the books without much financial support from the state.

The university received only about 30% of its regular state appropriations. When that round of funding was announced in April, there was hope more money would soon follow.  But, Illinois lawmakers wrapped up the spring legislative session without passing a state spending plan for this year or next.

Even though the school year is over at Western Illinois University, the Macomb community is still rallying for higher education funding.  About 50 people -- including Western faculty, staff and a few students -- gathered alongside members of the community for a demonstration that started in Chandler Park.

Members of the University Professionals of Illinois chapter at Western Illinois University voted overwhelmingly to defer 3% of their compensation for the next two years. They also agreed to pass up a negotiated 1% salary increase.

147 employees are losing their jobs as WIU grapples with a drastic decrease in state support for the current fiscal year and uncertain funding for the coming year.

Several weeks ago, many of us listened proudly as Macomb Junior High student Evan Stegall read his prize-winning essay "What I Like About My Hometown."  In it, Evan highlighted the partnership between the community and the university that makes Macomb what he called an "oasis," a place where a strong education is available and valued, a wide variety of cultural experiences are plentiful, and individual potential is nurtured.

Representatives from across the higher education spectrum gathered at Western Illinois University in Macomb to urge the state to provide funding for colleges and universities. But just hours afterward, Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed a measure (SB 2043) that would have funded MAP grants and provided at least a bit of income for the schools.

The Western Illinois University Board of Trustees voted 5-to-1 during a special meeting Monday to authorize staff reductions for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2016.  Staff cuts are just one part of Western's plan for cutting spending by roughly $10 million due to declines in enrollment and state financial support.

Our nation honors the life, legacy, and dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Believe it or not, he devoted a large amount of his life to supporting unions.

The Western Illinois University administration has met with employee groups several times in the past week, trying to find a way to save money while also saving jobs.

The Western Illinois University Board of Trustees will wait until next month to vote on a massive budget cutting plan.  In a letter issued Tuesday to the campus community, WIU President Jack Thomas said he wants more time to come up with a proposal that threatens the livelihood of fewer people.

The administration at Western Illinois University announced a plan last week to lay-off 50 teachers plus other staff members next school year.  The faculty union is now calling the plan a violation of its contract.

The state of Illinois has cut funding to higher education each year for more than a decade.  Those cuts combined with declining enrollment will cause some people to lose their jobs at Western Illinois University.