Governors State University and the University Professionals of Illinois (UPI) representing GSU faculty and staff reached a tentative contract agreement Monday night. The deal resulted in suspension of the strike that began a week ago.
“We’re relieved that we’ve come out of this process with a contract that addresses workload concerns so that we can better support students, and that gives our outstanding faculty and staff fair compensation for the great work they do every day,” said GSU-UPI President Mike Hart. “This contract is a step towards strengthening our university and the support we can give our students, and it will contribute to attracting high-quality educators and retaining the excellent faculty and staff we have. We are looking forward to reviewing the details with our members and will hold a vote to ratify the contract.”
Details of the agreement were not made public.
Bargaining between GSU-UPI and the administration began in June 2022. The parties entered mediation in December. GSU-UPI members went on strike on April 11 after voting to authorize the action at the end of March.
According to a press release from the Illinois Federation of Teachers, “a ratification vote is planned as soon as members have had a chance to examine the tentative agreement. GSU UPI members will return to work on Tuesday, April 18.”