It's been 100 days since tenure track professors with the United Faculty Alliance at NIU have been without a contract. They held a rally on Thursday, Oct. 8 to let their concerns be heard on campus.
Faculty, students and staff gathered outside of Founders Memorial Library in the center of campus. Through chants and various speakers, the message they wanted to send across campus is that NIU continues to delay addressing key issues, including salary, workload and program protections.
John Miller is President of the University Professionals of Illinois and Membership Secretary of the Illinois Federation of Teachers.
"But when we don't decrease workload, when we try and push to increase workload, we are harming the students and the educational mission of this institution," said over a loudspeaker to those gathered. "We need to be able to tell this institution very strongly that we are tired of waiting for them to realize that the strength of this institution is not them."
The union says that it has held more than a dozen bargaining sessions over nearly six months to no avail.
NIU Statement
NIU values our faculty’s contributions to our students, their disciplines and society. We remain committed to negotiating a fair and equitable Collective Bargaining Agreement with the United Faculty Alliance (UFA) that reflects the shared interests of both NIU and the UFA.
The bargaining process began in April 2026, and the parties have met regularly for positive and productive sessions. Reaching a fiscally responsible agreement requires time, thoughtful discussion and careful consideration, and we appreciate the continued engagement of everyone involved.
We look forward to continuing negotiations and reaching an agreement that reflects our shared commitment to the success of our faculty, our students and NIU.