Governors State University faculty and staff union to strike Tuesday
UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill. (CBS) – Another university will be hitting the picket line next week.
Faculty and staff at Governors State University will strike on Tuesday following an eight-hour bargaining session Thursday.
The announcement comes days after Chicago State University and Eastern Illinois University went on strike.
Members of the GSU University Professionals of Illinois declared the strike after receiving "another inadequate offer from the university."
Topics on the table include low pay and workload issues.
"After all that time bargaining, administration just walked away from the table," GSU UPI President Mike Hart said in a statement. "There was no sense of urgency. The university wouldn't agree to bargain further to avert a strike, so we will be heading to the picket lines on Tuesday, April 11. Our members are among the lowest paid in the state. The increase they're offering wouldn't cover a year's worth of gas to drive to work. We are dedicated to this university. We've sacrificed raises when times were tough under Governor Rauner – we shouldn't have to keep sacrificing."
The union did manage to negotiate a tentative agreement on parental leave - convincing the university to agree to 25 days.
Both sides have been negotiating since last June. Union members voted to authorize the strike last month.
The next bargaining session is scheduled for April 12.
