After nearly a year of contract negotiations with administration that failed to produce a new contract, University of Illinois Springfield faculty has taken to the picket line. Friday morning, the UIS United Faculty Union, consisting of tenure and tenure-track faculty, carried signs and chanted outside the Student Center on the main quad and holding a news conference to announce their strike. Union leaders say it was avoidable – but necessary.
The rally drew faculty, students, and local lawmakers including State Sen. Doris Turner, D–Springfield.
The faculty strike continues the escalation of disputes between the two sides that began building last spring and highlights UIS declining enrollment and a projected budget deficit.
The walk out follows a collective bargaining session Thursday which lasted for almost 10 hours. According to faculty union leaders, the talks failed to produce any meaningful progress.
After marching across the quad in solidarity with one another, their spouses, children and students, the crowd chanted, rang cow bells and banged on bucket-drums. Sen. Turner quieted the crowd with her opening remarks.
“I’m out here with you today, to make sure you can stay here. Whether you are a university worker or faculty member, whether you are young or old,” said Turner “at one of the best university systems in the world, this type of problem shouldn’t be a problem.”
UIS United Faculty President Dathan Powell said “10 months of negotiations are too much. We want the administration to know that we are here and that we are serious.”
In a statement, the administration said it is “hopeful that the parties can come to an agreement that serves the best interests of our entire university community,” and maintained that a strike is not warranted.
At the center of the dispute is the school's proposed 1% salary increase, which union leaders argue does not keep pace with inflation in state or nationally. The union wants raises that would be closer to 3%.
Nationwide patterns show that household incomes have barely kept pace with inflation in recent years. According to U.S. Census data, national median household income in 2024 was only slightly higher than 2023 when adjusted for inflation. This means that real income gains – even as prices for housing, food and other essentials have climbed – are flattening on aggregate.
For many faculty and support staff in central Illinois, modest annual raises – in some cases measured in single-digit dollars per month – do little to bridge the gap.
Faculty supporters argue that rising costs for housing, groceries, and gas has effectively turned the administration’s offer into a pay cut instead of a raise.
They are also objecting to what they describe as “take backs” or proposed changes that would roll back protections secured in previous contracts. “Chancellor (Janet) Gooch should be embarrassed,” says Powell.
“While continually crying poor, she conveniently ignores the fact that she has found the resources to hire more unnecessary, high-paid administrators and give them real raises, but somehow has no money for staff and faculty.”
Moreover, the faculty has existential concerns about how the university is approaching new challenges in higher education – particularly integrating artificial intelligence into teaching and coursework.
Union leaders say they want a collaborative approach to AI policy, but argue the administration has not meaningfully engaged them on the issue, despite the technology challenging the foundations of traditional educational rubrics.
UIS has faced declining enrollment in recent years, and campus officials have projected a budget deficit of nearly $19 million. The university administrators argue that these external financial pressures are shaping what the university can offer in their new contract.
But union leaders and their statewide affiliates, including the Illinois Federation of Teachers, are questioning the administration’s framing of their finances. Critics point to the broader University of Illinois System, which they say continues to grow financially, and reported an $8.3 billion operating budget for fiscal year 2025. UIS amounts to only 2% over system spending.
UIS faculty union officials argue that resources are being disproportionately directed toward the flagship campus in Urbana-Champaign, leaving Springfield underfunded. The school is looking to new ways to boost enrollment, including expanding into engineering degrees.
University leadership has not publicly agreed with that characterization, instead focusing on Springfield-campus-specific financials.
The strike involves tenure and tenure-track faculty only who are covered by the current contract negotiations. Students are being told to attend classes unless notified otherwise. Courses taught by adjunct and non-tenure-track faculty are expected to continue undisrupted.
It remains unclear how long the strike will last.
