Frequently Asked Questions

UFISU represents approximately 650 non-administrative tenured and tenure-track faculty at Illinois State University.

The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board certified UFISU as the official bargaining representative of approximately 650 non-administrative tenured and tenure-track ISU faculty on January 8, 2024, and the parties are now negotiating over wages and other terms and conditions of employment for a first contract. The University is committed to bargaining in good faith to complete these negotiations as promptly as possible. However, it is important to note that it is quite common for negotiations to develop a first contract to take longer than renegotiations for an existing agreement due to the significant number of foundational items that must be addressed.

ISU and UPI mutually agreed to start negotiations on February 28, 2024.

On February 28, the parties commenced negotiations and have since met almost weekly to discuss wages and other terms and conditions of employment for a first contract. The Union presented its initial 86-page proposal, covering dozens of topics on February 28 and the University presented its initial non-economic proposals on March 26 and its initial economic proposal on December 18

To date, the parties have exchanged proposals and counter-proposals on more than 40 unique topics and have reached tentative agreements on the following topics:

• Academic Freedom
• Discipline
• Duration
• Electronic Availability of the Agreement
• Facilities
• Health and Safety
• Intellectual Property
• International Faculty
• Labor/Management Meetings
• Layoffs
• Legislative Affairs
• Limitations and Savings
• No Strike/No Lock-Out
• Personnel Files and Records
• Policies and Procedures
• Program Reorganization, Consolidation, or Disestablishment
• Reappointment, Evaluation, Promotion, Tenure, and Post-Tenure Review
• Purpose
• Recognition
• Shared Governance
• Transfers
• Union Dues
• Union Rights

Updated December 19, 2024

Of course. The IELRB issued this directive on Tuesday, December 3. The University promptly drafted a joint request for mediation, which the Union subsequently also signed. The University forwarded this joint request to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) and a mediator has been assigned.

While the University believes that mediation is premature as the parties are not at impasse and that much could have been accomplished and resolved through additional direct dialogue and negotiations between the parties, it remains committed to continued good faith negotiations under the guidance of the mediator. It our goal to reach a contract agreement that reflects the needs of all Illinois State University stakeholders as promptly as reasonably possible. Our first session with the FMCS mediator is scheduled for Monday, January 13.

Updated December 11, 2024

The University and the Union jointly requested the services of an independent mediator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). Our last scheduled negotiating session without the mediator will be held on Wednesday, December 18. It is expected that all future negotiations sessions will be conducted under the mediator’s guidance and with their direct participation. Our first session with the mediator is scheduled for Monday, January 13.

Both the University and the Union must sign a written agreement that we will comply with FMCS’s mediation guidelines, which provide for a confidential environment in which participation in negotiations moving forward is restricted solely to bargaining team members and the mediator. This allows for the parties to more freely and candidly discuss proposals and explore alternatives to reach agreement in a productive and expeditious manner.

Updated December 11, 2024

No. ISU is committed to reaching a fair and fiscally responsible contract agreement that meets the needs of all stakeholders. The University is hopeful that an impartial mediator's broad knowledge and input as a neutral participant will help us reach a fair and fiscally responsible contract agreement without disrupting the teaching and learning environment. ISU remains committed to continued good faith negotiations. Our first session with the independent federal mediator is scheduled for Monday, January 13.

Added December 19, 2024

Our first session with the independent federal mediator is scheduled for Monday, January 13.

Updated December 19, 2024

Among other issues, the parties are continuing to discuss grievance procedure, non-discrimination, management’s rights, and identification of union representatives.

At our negotiating session on Wednesday, December 18, the University presented its initial economic package to the Union. This proposal reflects the University’s goal for tenure-track faculty to be compensated in a manner that is competitive with the average for our peer institutions, while also ensuring the long-term viability of ISU and its ability to provide excellent educational opportunities for all students.

It is customary in labor negotiations to resolve the major non-economic issues before moving to issues of salary and benefits. This approach is particularly important in negotiations to establish a first contract—when literally all terms and conditions of employment, including many that impact shared governance, are being determined at the bargaining table. It is essential that economic issues are discussed in the context of the University’s overall financial position, which can change over time. This is one of the reasons why economic issues are often discussed at the end of negotiations, closer to when the agreement will be implemented and when projected revenues and expenses are clearer.

In its initial proposal to the University, the Union presented more than 40 specific items for discussion—all of which require necessary time and attention by both parties during negotiation. These proposals also often require discussions with various University departments to understand what is already in place, the practical implications of the language being considered, and whether agreeing to the proposal is in the best interests of the University and/or can be practically or reasonably implemented. Ultimately, the University must ensure that the agreement reached between the parties is followed; therefore, it cannot agree to terms that cannot practically or reasonably be implemented.

It is the University’s view that many of these items proposed by the Union are already addressed by University policies that were developed with input from the Academic Senate through ISU’s shared governance processes, making it unnecessary for them to be addressed with language in the contract.

In an effort to provide a common understanding for future negotiating sessions around economic issues, including salary and benefits, at our October 30 bargaining session, the University’s Interim Vice President of Finance and Planning met with the bargaining teams to share information and answer questions about ISU’s fiscal and enrollment projections in the context of these negotiations. Topics of discussion included an analysis of state appropriations, historical and projected revenue and expenses, demographic and financial aid trends impacting projected enrollment and revenues, and the University’s fund structure and related restrictions on how these monies can be spent.

Updated December 19, 2024

The University’s initial salary proposal, over the life of the proposed four-year agreement, compensates assistant professors above projected comparable wages at peer institutions and significantly closes the gap for associate and full professors.

Following are projected average fiscal year 2025 salaries for tenure-track faculty compensation for ISU peer institutions offering comparable academic programs:

These projections are based on data from the College and University Professional Association (CUPA), adjusted to both reflect the slightly lower cost of living in Bloomington-Normal (as compared to the average cost of living in the peer institution locations) and an annual salary increase equivalent to the ten-year national average annual salary increase for tenure-track faculty salaries as reported by the American Association of University Professors, the parent union to the tenure track faculty union here at ISU.

Added December 19, 2024

Illinois State University uses the Carnegie classification system, sector (e.g., Public, 4-year or above), and geographic region (e.g., U.S. Census Bureau regions) to determine a set of institutions that may be used for salary comparisons of many academic positions and non-academic positions. ISU is classified under the Carnegie classification system as an R2 research university and is located in the Midwest US Census Bureau Region. As of December 18, 2024, the Carnegie Classification system reports there are 24 public, four-year universities classified as R2 research universities located in the states in the Midwest US Census Bureau Region

Added December 19, 2024

Because appropriations from the State have remained relatively stagnant over the last two decades, the percentage of ISU’s operating funds that must come from tuition dollars has increased significantly. Currently, tuition dollars generate approximately 45% of ISU’s operating funds. While we are proud to have seen consistent year-over-year enrollment growth of 3.98% from Fall 2020 to Fall 2024, the University has also experienced an increase in institutional financial aid expense to attract and retain these students. It is important to note that while increased enrollment results in a positive revenue impact, corresponding increases in financial aid, personnel and operating costs offset revenue gains from year to year.

Aside from state revenues and growing dependence on tuition dollars to support the University’s personnel and operating costs, an even more significant impact that must be considered is the projected decline in the number of high school graduates nationally. In Illinois, the number of high school graduates is expected to begin dropping precipitously from approximately 148,000 in 2025 to just over 115,000 in 2037. Decreasing enrollment among traditional-age college students will impact not just tuition revenue, but also funds generated by housing, dining and student fees.

Given the projected decline in the number of students graduating from high school in the future and that nearly 96% of ISU’s students are drawn from within the state, the University’s student enrollment is likely to be affected in coming years. Another factor that will likely impact enrollment is that approximately half of college-bound students currently leave the State of Illinois to pursue higher education (Illinois the second-highest exporter of college-bound students in the country). All these factors are important for the University to consider in our financial planning and projections, including commitments made through collective bargaining.

Added December 19, 2024

These negotiations will have a substantive impact on how shared governance is practiced moving forward at ISU, and merit thoughtful discourse and consideration by both the University and the Union.

Throughout its 168-year history, ISU has a long, successful record of and commitment to shared governance and we expect that to continue. This is achieved primarily through the convening of the Academic Senate, which was founded in 1970 and includes representation by members of faculty also represented by the UFISU. The Academic Senate provides a forum for the input and participation of the University’s faculty and students in recommending and advising on the implementation of educational policies across the institution. Many of the topics being negotiated are already addressed in existing University policies developed with input from the Academic Senate.