SOLIDARITY STATEMENT FOR UIUC NON-TENURE FACULTY

The Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) of the University of Illinois at Chicago stands with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Non-Tenure Faculty who are striking for a fair contract.

The Non-Tenure Faculty at UIUC have been bargaining for almost two school years—since October 2014—for their first contract. These full-time instructors, lecturers, teaching associates, clinical assistant and associate professors, and research assistant and associate professors are essential to UIUC’s success as a world-class educational institution.

As teaching assistants and graduate assistants, we share the Non-Tenure Faculty’s concerns with academic freedom, appointment/reappointment notices, evaluation, and many other issues. When 40 percent of undergraduate classes are taught by non-tenure track professors, ensuring academic freedom and job security for these faculty is key to ensuring a quality educational environment for students.

It is unfortunate that after over 555 days, the Administration is not taking the Faculty’s concerns seriously. GEO recognizes that the decision to strike was not taken lightly by the Non-Tenure Faculty and supports the right of the Non-Tenure Faculty to strike without retaliation. We hope that the Administration will recognize the critical role of non-tenure faculty at UIUC and will act quickly to ensure that non-tenure faculty receive the excellent contract that they deserve.