June 11, 2021

Dear College of Arts and Sciences Colleagues,

I am pleased to share that a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with our non-tenure-track faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) was approved by the University’s Board of Trustees on June 3, after it was ratified by CAS non-tenure-track faculty represented in the negotiations by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73.

The agreement with CAS SEIU-represented faculty extends through June 30, 2025. Among other benefits, it:

• Calls for an immediate salary increase for most SEIU-represented faculty;
• Keeps Loyola University Chicago CAS non-tenure-track faculty among the highest paid non-tenured faculty in Chicagoland;
• Offers increased opportunities for workload flexibility for unionized faculty;
• Creates a parental leave policy for part-time unionized faculty;
• Provides earlier notification of tentative class assignments and schedules for part-time unionized faculty;
• Creates a number of new regular full-time non-tenure-track appointments in CAS;
• Opens the professional development fund to part-time faculty who have completed two semesters of teaching and all unionized faculty in CAS; and
• Is fiscally responsible, ensuring Loyola can continue to offer a high-quality, affordable education to our students.

We had an excellent working relationship with our non-tenure-track faculty during the previous contract, and we feel this new agreement both strengthens that relationship and reflects our appreciation for the many contributions of those faculty members. We are grateful to our non-tenure-track faculty for putting our students first throughout the negotiation process, especially as they have skillfully navigated the challenges of the past year.

I would also like to recognize and thank our colleague and friend, John Frendreis, for his stewardship in managing the recent negotiations with our CAS SEIU-represented faculty and for his work as the CBA administrator for the past three years. He has taken on this responsibility with integrity and consistently worked to ensure a positive relationship between CAS and our SEIU-represented faculty. The entirety of CAS wishes him well in his retirement and thanks him for his many years as a dedicated leader at Loyola.

Replacing John is Spencer Waller, the John Paul Stevens Chair in Competition Law and formerly an Associate Dean of the School of Law. Going forward, Spencer will serve as the Special Assistant to the Provost for Collective Bargaining for the University where he will conduct regular labor management meetings with the CBA committee from the Union and CAS leadership, serve as the main point of contact for any information requests or concerns the Union may have regarding the implementation of the new CBA, and will report on the relationship with the Union to the Office of the Provost and the Board of Trustees.

Last, but certainly not least, we owe a debt of gratitude to the CAS leadership who played central roles in the successful implementation of the last CBA and who will be crucial to the successful implementation of the new CBA. In particular, I wish to thank Arthur Lurigio, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs; Asim Gangopadhyaya, Associate Dean for Resources and Planning; Catherine Carlson, Director of Finances and Business Operations; and our Department Chairs and Interdisciplinary Program Directors throughout CAS, most notably Constantin Rasinariu, Chair of the Physics Department and member of the Bargaining Team. Their commitment to ensuring an outstanding education for our students and an outstanding research and teaching environment for our faculty is the heart of what we do as a College.

In the coming weeks and months, new contracts reflecting the details of the CBA will be issued to our SEIU-represented faculty, and CAS will hold trainings to help Department Chairs, Interdisciplinary Program Directors, and other Staff become familiar with the specifics in the agreement. Until then, I wish you a productive and restful summer.

Sincerely,

Peter J. Schraeder, PhD
Professor and Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Loyola University Chicago