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Update on SEIU Negotiations

March 22, 2018

Dear Colleagues

As you likely know, Loyola is currently in the midst of collective bargaining to reach our first contract with SEIU Local 73, which represents several hundred full- and part-time non-tenure track faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). There has been a lot of misinformation shared on these negotiations, so I’m writing today to give the facts on where we are in the bargaining process and the potential impact on our campus community.

Loyola University Chicago and SEIU Local 73 met earlier this week for their most recent College of Arts and Sciences bargaining session. This session was added to the existing schedule in the hopes we could more quickly reach an agreement that is fair and reasonable.

The Loyola bargaining team presented a comprehensive economic package counterproposal to the College of Arts and Sciences bargaining unit, which includes significant increases in compensation (that would make Loyola CAS non-tenure-track faculty among the highest paid non-tenured faculty in Chicagoland), increased job security, and greater clarity around appointments/reappointments, including:

  • A pay increase at the start of the 2018-19 academic year for all full-time and part-time faculty members in the CAS bargaining unit.
  • A 35 percent increase to the standard per-credit-hour rate for part-time instructors without a terminal degree and a 33 percent increase to the standard per-credit-hour rate for part-time instructors with a terminal degree at the start of the 2018-19 academic year. This would result in a new minimum pay rate for part-time faculty with a terminal degree of $6,000 for a three-credit course. This is nearly $2,500 above the average compensation for part-time instructors teaching a three-credit course in Social Sciences, Humanities, and Sciences at most other Chicago-area four-year universities and community colleges.
  • Longer appointments for both full-time and part-time unionized faculty.
  • A new classification of part-time faculty, known as “Adjunct Instructors,” which would come with a pay raise and a two-year appointment.

These proposals represent dramatic improvements to the University’s previous proposals and address the majority of the Union’s concerns. We are hopeful the Union will work quickly with us to finalize this agreement. You can read more details about our negotiations with SEIU Local 73 on our public bargaining website.

Despite this significant progress, the SEIU is threatening a strike in early April. A strike would disrupt our students’ education and the campus overall. Instead, we wish the SEIU would focus, as we are, on working quickly to conclude a new agreement. I want to be very clear that Loyola does not want a strike, but we will be prepared if SEIU calls one.

If SEIU Local 73 decides to call a strike, our students’ intellectual, developmental, and spiritual needs will remain our top priority:

  • SEIU-represented faculty are not required to participate in an SEIU strike.
  • Faculty who participate in a strike (whether in the bargaining unit or not) will not receive pay from Loyola during a strike.
  • All Loyola buildings will be open during a strike, and University operations will continue as usual.
  • However, even for a one-day strike, for example, we estimate several hundred class periods could be cancelled by striking faculty, potentially impacting at least one class for 6,000–8,000 students.
  • Out of consideration for our students, faculty members will be requested to update Sakai with a notification on whether or not you plan to teach your classes during an SEIU strike.
  • We hope that our faculty do not walk out on our students.

Please view this flyer posted on the bargaining website for additional information about the potential impact of a strike. Loyola and SEIU Local 73 will meet for their next bargaining session on March 28. In the meantime, please visit the CAS bargaining website for additional information and updates.

Thank you for all that you do to create a transformative educational experience for our students. I want to assure you that Loyola remains committed to bargaining in good faith and reaching a fair and reasonable agreement that’s good for our faculty, our students, and the entire Loyola community.

Sincerely,

Margaret Faut Callahan, CRNA, PhD, FNAP, FAAN
Acting Provost
Provost, Health Sciences Campus