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BARGAINING AGREEMENTS

• CSU
• EIU - Unit A
2006-10, as pdf
• EIU - Unit B
2006-10 as pdf
• GSU
2006-09 as pdf
• NEIU
2004-08 as pdf

• NIU
Coming soon

• UIS-AGE
2007 - 2010

• UIS - Clerical
2005-08, 46 pp as pdf

• UIS - Service Workers
20005-08, 47 pp as pdf

• UIS - Technical
2005-08, 45 pp as pdf
• WIU

For UPI

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MARY GILL

HARD TIMES IN IL

UI union cries foul over new furlough, pay-cut policies (Champaign News-Gazette, Feb. 5)

OPINION: No guarantees with UI exit plan-- The University of Illinois is inviting employees to leave, but past state early retirement plans have proven to be financial boondoggles. After several days of speculation about an early exit program, University of Illinois administrators sent out the official e-mail Tuesday informing employees of the details. (Champaign News-Gazette, Feb. 4)


Gayle Carper wins WIU election runoff

Gayle Carper defeated Oswald Warner in the WIU UPI special election. Votes were tallied at the office of the Illinois Federation of Teachers in Westmont, Ill.

Carper will fill the vacancy on the WIU / UPI Executive Board for the Unit A at-large position, which became available when Mike Romano was promoted out of the bargaining unit.

RIGHT: Charles Li of IFT scans in votes from WIU / UPI special election using a pen scanner to read the ballot's bar code and earphones to hear the "beep" that indicates a good scan.

Charles Li


RETIREES
Northeastern retirees meet,
greet and eat

Retirees at Northeastern met recently on campus for lunch. John Murphy, president of UPI's Retiree Chapter and a Northeastern retiree, and Ed Hunt, also a Northeastern retiree, discuss with retirees pensions and health care.

>> CLICK to see a photo gallery

Neiu retirees

IL BUDGET & HIGHER ED

Biz group steps up drive to limit state pensions -- The Civic Committee of the Commercial Club is buying ads in major publications, setting up a Web site  and taking other steps to build pressure for big state pension changes. Ads to appear on Friday and over the weekend in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Daily Herald and other publications urge voters "to keep in mind" that the state budget, by its estimate, currently is at least $14 billion in the hole. (Chicago Business, Jan. 28)

State financial irresponsibility forcing UI's hand on tuition (Champaign News-Gazette, Jan. 27)

Capital improvements affect housing, dining costs for fall Students living on campus in fall will see 6.25 percent increase(Daily Eastern News, Jan. 27)

Illinois universities to issue budget plea (Champaign News-Gazette, Jan. 26)

DeVry Inc. sees 2Q profit jump 69% (Chicago Business, Jan. 26)

>> 6.25 percent living increase set for fall Students residing on campus in fall 2010 affected (Daily Eastern News, Jan. 25)

>> Tuition, fee hikes hitting U. of I., Eastern Illinois (Chicago Sun-Times, Jan. 22)

WIU: Letter from Goldfarb -- Western is waiting on reimbursements totaling $33 million. Due to this delay, all University offices should continue to limit spending to immediate operational needs only. (Western Courier, Jan. 20)

>> University of Illinois raises housing costs, fees -- The University of Illinois has raised the cost of student housing by up to 6 percent and increased fees paid by students.  (Chicago Sun-Times, Jan. 21)

>> Some UI faculty welcome option to take a pay cut (Champaign News-Gazette, Jan. 21)

>> U. of I. to increase tuition at least 9 percent Interim president warns cost could climb higher due to state finances (Chicago Tribune, Jan. 21)

>> Pay cut rather than furlough an option at U of I -- Employees who worry that taking four mandated furlough days will keep them from doing their jobs should feel free to work those days without pay. (Bloomington Pantagraph, Jan. 20)

>> What will be impact of furloughs at UIS?  Students, faculty do not know what to expect (Springfield State Journal-Register, Jan. 20)

RECOMMENDED READING:
To the Power of Many -- UPI's own, Jamie Owen Daniel, writes on the importance of faculty committing not just to supporting graduate students but also to organizing themselves. (Academe Online, January-February 2010)


STATE OF THE STATE

Quinn renews call to raise taxes, protect services in State of the State address (Chicago Current, Jan. 14)

>> Not much meat in governor's message Statement of IFT President Ed Geppert, Jr. (IFT, Jan. 13

Teachers union fears not allayed by Quinn A major Illinois teachers union says Gov. Pat Quinn's State of the State address did not allay fears that schools and colleges might run out of money soon. (Southern Illinoisan, Jan. 14)

>> Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn gives State of the State speech But address doesn't impress many lawmakers (Chicago Tribune, Jan. 14)

>> Bernard Schoenburg: Perhaps the governor should have written it out -- There’s a reason people write out long speeches to be given to important crowds. Gov. PAT QUINN demonstrated why on Wednesday, when he delivered his pre-election State of the State address from notes — almost a stream of consciousness for more than an hour. (Springfield State Journal-Register, Jan.12)

>> Quinn pushes 2010 tax increase in State of State speech (Chicago Sun-Tines, Jan. 13)

>> Quinn renews call to raise taxes, protect services in State of the State address (Chicago Current, Jan. 13)


AFT IN THE NEWS

A Historic Union? -- The National Labor College joins forces with a huge for-profit company to build the biggest online university ever.  (Inside Higher Ed, Jan. 15)

AFT Urges Donations To Help Haiti Earthquake Relief – Provides inks for AFT members to donate.

Weingarten Outlines Comprehensive Education Reform Plan —AFT Randi Weingarten talks of significant changes to the teaching profession; see also links to many resources and stories in ABC News online, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, USA Today, Bloomberg News and the New York Times. (AFT, Jan. 12)

>> Overview of Randi’s speech (download 2-page bullet list pdf)

>> Complete text of Randi’s speech (download 8-page pdf)

>> AFT President Randi Weingarten Calls For New Path Forward For 21st Century Education (Workers Independent News, Jan. 12)

>> A Serious Proposal -- The American Federation of Teachers should follow its president’s recommendation to accept a form of teacher evaluation that takes student achievement into account. (New York Times Jan. 11)

>> OPINION: New ideas from Weingarten -- "When your union deals with issues affecting both teaching quality and teachers' rights, which of these should be the higher priority--working for professional teaching standards and good teaching, or defending the job rights of teachers who face disciplinary action?"  (Washington Post, Jan. 11)

>> Watch Your Mailbox for Your New AFT Membership Card -- Starting in late January, AFT members across the country will start receiving their new AFT membership cards in the mail. Once you receive your card, you will want to validate it on the members section of the new AFT Web site. That will give you not only access to exclusive members-only discounts on retail shopping, entertainment, travel, magazine subscriptions, mortgage services and insurance, but also the chance to win prizes, including $500. (AFT Leadernet, Jan. 9)

AFT Launches New Site for Leaders on Teacher Evaluation (AFT Leadernet, Jan. 14)

>> Check out the AFT's New Web Site (AFT Leadernet, Jan. 12)


UPI Local 4100, IFT, AFT. AFL-CIO

11 E. Adams, Suite 1106, Chicago, IL 60603
Phone: 312.663.5916: Ellie Sullivan at Ext. 11; David Carpenter at Ext. 18; Hank Davis at Ext. 16; Tamara Morris at Ext. 12; Kathy McConnell at Ext. 13; Jamie Daniel at Ext. 14; Mary Durkin at Ext. 17; John Murphy at Ext. 15.

Fax: 312.663.3833

Haiti Earthquake Relief -- Make a donation to the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center's Earthquake Relief for Haitian Workers' campaign and Union Plus will match your donation dollar-for-dollar, up to $100,000. CLICK


Chicago Federation of Labor Scholarship:
2010 William A. Lee Memorial Scholarship

The Chicago Federation of Labor will offer five academic-based scholarships and five random-drawing scholarships of $2,000 to students graduating from a Chicago or suburban high schools.

Deadline is March 1.

Click for more info

See the application at www.chicagolabor.org


UPDATES


IFT Legislative Update, Jan. 15: State of State message starts new session

SUAA Mini Briefing, Jan. 26

IBHE Friday Memo: Friday, Feb. 5: Friday Memo is snowed in (and under). Will return next week.

>> Read the IBHE's News Digest

Illinois AFL-CIO Legislative Update, Feb. 5

The Alliance for Retired America Friday Alert; President’s Budget Includes $250 Stimulus Payment for Social Security Recipients
(Feb. 5)

RESOURCES

 

 

IBHE Meeting Schedule

All meetings will begin at 1 p.m. and last about three hours

April 6, Chicago TBD
June 1, Springfield TBD
Aug. 10, Chicago  TBD
Oct. 5, Chicago TBD
Dec. 7,  Chicago TBD


AFT Leadernet Legislative Action Center -- Sign up to become an AFT e-Activist to receive email alerts.

If you are not currently registered to use Leadernet, please email Mary Durkin.

NEWS

 

 

OVER YOUR SHOULDER:
The changing role of the university


For-Profit Colleges Change Higher Education's Landscape Nimble companies gain a fast-growing share of enrollments (Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 7)

For This U. of Phoenix Student, Perseverance Pays Off (Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 7)

Q&A: What For-Profit Colleges Are All About (Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 7)

Decline in College Art Positions(Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 7)

Considering the Future of U. of California (Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 7)

BLOG: Ask the Administrator: Is Working at a CC the Kiss of Death in Academia? (Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 7)

Policy Matters Top 10 Higher Education State Policy Issues for 2010 (American Association of State Colleges and Universities, January 2010)

BOOK REVIEW: Tales Out of School (New York Times, Feb. 5)

For Students at Risk, Early College Proves a Draw -- Early-college schools, once for the affluent and overachieving, are serving more low-income students. (New York Times, Feb. 7)


PEOPLE TO WATCH

On the Basketball Court with Arne Duncan
(The New Yorker, Jan. 26)

DAVID HOROWITZ: Still Banned at Saint Louis U. (Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 8)


UPI SCHOOLS

Eastern receives $6 million in state funding Reduction in funding for 2011 (Daily Eastern News, Feb. 8)

U of I tuition increase reflects national trend
9% hike in Champaign, 15% in Florida, 30% in California (Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 6)

UIS sees record-setting enrollment for spring semester (Champaign News-Gazette, Feb. 4)

Chicago State makes Olympic effort to bolster athletic squad University hopes former athletes will inspire off field too (Chicago Tribune, Feb. 3)

EIU spring enrollment down slightly [ about 1 percent]  (Charleston Times-Courier, Feb. 2)

Retention rate above national average Quality of education experience, ability of developing loyalty, significant variables (Daily Eastern News, Feb. 1)


IL SCHOOLS

Chicago schools pile up lunch waste Kids eating lunch in Chicago schools toss out nearly a quarter of a million foam trays every day — and that's just the beginning (Chicago Tribune, Feb. 7)

U. of C. president's relationship with professor causes stir on campus Board sees 'no conflict of interest' (Chicago Tribune, Feb. 5

Teacher pension fund suit: Northern Trust botched assets -- The Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund has filed suit against Northern Trust Co., alleging the bank and investment management company improperly managed fund assets by placing them in risky, long-term securities that plummeted in value. (Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 2)

UI unveils Web site on budget(Champaign News-Gazette, Feb. 5)

OPINION: No guarantees with UI exit plan -- The University of Illinois is inviting employees to leave, but past state early retirement plans have proven to be financial boondoggles. After several days of speculation about an early exit program, University of Illinois administrators sent out the official e-mail Tuesday informing employees of the details. (Champaign News-Gazette, Feb. 4)

OPINION: Chief e-mails tell disturbing story (Champaign News-Gazette, Feb. 2)

Teaching methods praised during event for [SIU} medical school’s 40th anniversary (Springfield State Journal-Register, Feb .2)

University waiting to endorse e-books (Daily Illini, Feb. 1)

Voters say no to New Trier referendum -- A $174 million plan to renovate and add on to New Trier High School's Winnetka campus went solidly down in defeat Tuesday night. (Winnetka Talk, Feb. 2)

Special-needs pupils victims of state financial woes (Courier-News, Feb. 2)

SIUC's spring enrollment is down again (Chicago Tribune, Feb. 2)

New [Chicago] Board of Education chief getting the lay of the land(Chicago Tribune, Feb. 1)


IN & ABOUT SPRINGFIELD

Pawnbroker says he's dropping out of race Quinn comment, Democratics to begin replacement talks (Chicago Tribune, Feb. 7)

State lawmakers returning this week to packed agenda -- No problem is bigger than the state’s hobbled budget, with a deficit of $13 billion or more.  (Springfield State Journal-Register, Feb.7)

Hynes would consider spot on ticket, but not pursuing it (Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 8)

OPINION: Quinn rally makes for almost perfect night (Southtown Star, Feb. 8)

To Kirk Dilliard and Bill Brady: It’s The Pensions Stupid -- For two guys at the 20% voter approval level, 91% and 87% should send a strong signal: the 95% of voters who are not eligible for state pensions do not want to pay taxes to make the other 5% retirement millionaires. (Champion News, Feb. 5)

State senator threatened with eviction from Barrington office -- Sen Duffy  says he won't complain if he is booted from his office because the state government hasn't been paying the rent on time. (Daily Herald, Feb. 8)

OPINION: Fix Illinois' fiscal mess — now (Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 3)

In Illinois Campaign, Republicans Squabble Amid Attempt to Regain a House Seat (New York Times, Feb. 1)


HEALTH & SAFETY

Grad Student Sues U. of Kentucky in Gun Dispute (Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 3)



MONEY . . .

hard times

With Federal Stimulus Money Gone, Many Schools Face Budget Gaps -- The stimulus helped forestall drastic cuts at public schools, but many are now approaching what officials call a “funding cliff.” (New York Times, Feb. 7)

OPINION: College tuition hikes are a tax hike on families -- "Between a decade of budget cuts to higher education and reductions the university has already made, there's no fat to cut. That leaves one other place to go to make up the shortfall: students and their parents," says the Journal Star in today's editorial. "Call it a hidden tax hike on families of college kids. It's one more reminder of the real-world consequences of a state government that can't get its budget under control. It's just shameful." ( Peoria Journal Star, Feb. 7)

age? -- Should a candidate for governor be able to get a major-party nomination if only one-fifth of an already small number of primary election voters give him or her the nod? (Springfield State Journal-Register, Feb.8)


http://www.sj-r.com/schoenburg/x503201689/Bernard-Schoenburg-Should-state-have-threshold-percentage


Yale, With $150 Million Deficit, Plans Staff and Research Cuts  (New York Times, Feb. 3)

OPINION: Rising College Costs: A Federal Role? -- The Obama administration, even as it tried to restrain other domestic spending in its 2011 budget request, has called for expanding the Pell Grants, the main federal college aid program for low-income families. If adopted by Congress, the president’s formula would raise the top grant to $5,710 in 2011, compared with $5,550 this year, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education, and make the program available to an additional one million students. (New York Times, Feb. 3)

Contributions to Colleges Drop 12% (Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 3)

Sharp Drop Is Seen in Gifts to Colleges and Universities  (New York Times, Feb. 2)

Contributions to Colleges Drop 12% (Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 3)

Sharp Drop Is Seen in Gifts to Colleges and Universities  (New York Times, Feb. 2)

Parents, students on edge over soaring tuition (Daily Herald, Feb. 2)

UI Flash Index stays at 91.2 in January -- indicating economic recovery in Illinois has been slow. (Champaign News-Gazette, Feb. 2)

What's a Degree Really Worth? (Wall Street Journal, Feb. 2)

The Education Exception -- Programs important to colleges generally avoid Obama budget freeze, with sizable increases proposed for student aid and research. Humanities would get pinched, and a community college program eliminated. (Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 2)

Higher education faces greatest financial state of emergency in decades (Las Vegas Sun, Feb. 2)


• & students

Recession Affected Students' Financial Attitudes and Behaviors, Study Finds (Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 8)

Lobbying Imperils Overhaul of Student Loans -- An aggressive lobbying by large student lenders has imperiled a plan to end subsidies to private lenders. (New York Times, Feb. 4)

Industry Lobbying Imperils Overhaul of Student Loans (New York Times, Feb. 4)

Parents, students on edge over soaring tuition (Daily Herald, Feb. 2)

Renewed Push on Pell (Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 1)

It's Up to the Department Now -- Months of negotiations on the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed revisions to regulations intended to guard against abuses of the federal financial aid program ended Friday with no agreement on the most controversial issues under consideration. (Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 1)

College Students Struggling University counseling centers across the country are seeing many more students with complex mental-health diseases. (Chicago Tribune, Feb. 1)


• & the nation

Obama's 2011 Budget Proposes More Money for Education and Research (Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 1)


SCHOOLS . . .

• nationally

Nearly half bring work home  -- Up to half of Americans bring their work home with them regularly, a national survey of 1,800 workers finds.  (Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 5)

20,000 Jobs Lost in January as Jobless Rate Falls to 9.7%  (New York Times, Feb. 5)

Charter Schools’ Political Success is a Civil Rights Failure (Education News, Feb. 4)

Obama wants to raise the bar of No Child Left Behind law (USA Today, Feb. 1)

OPINION: Union officials are disturbingly inflexible toward charter schools (Washington Post, Feb. 2)

Administration Outlines Proposed Changes to ‘No Child’ Law (New York Times, Feb. 1)

Supreme Court Decision About Law School’s Anti-Discrimination Policy Tests Religious Right Power On College Campuses – And Elsewhere (Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, Feb.)


• internationally

Quebec Offers Fast-Tracked Canadian Citizenship to Foreign Students -- The move seems designed to take advantage of Australia's and Britain's problems in the Indian-student market.  (Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 2)


COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION

Limits on Presidents' Love Lives -- U. of Chicago says leader's marital separation and relationship with a professor are personal matters, but governance experts see potential conflicts of interest and raise ethical questions. (Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 3)


CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION

Faculty of La Sierra U. Backs Biology Dept. Against Creationist Critics (Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 1)

A Core Curriculum for Civic Literacy (Chronicle of Higher Education, Jan. 31)


ADJUNCTS

OPINION: Countercyclical Hiring and Flight Risk -- Too many of the arguments I've read and heard for hiring more full-time faculty rely on moralistic appeals. The idea seems to boil down to a simpleminded equation of "market" with "bad" and "tradition" with "good." (Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 3)

Back to School, as an Adjunct(New York Times, Jan. 30)

ACADEMIC FREEDOM

FACULTY / STAFF



STUDENTS

Students, Faith, Catholic Colleges -- New research counters widely publicized studies about institutions leading the faithful "astray."(Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 1)

Clash Over Student Privacy -- The U.S. Education Department has fired the top federal official charged with protecting student privacy, in what the dismissed official says was a conflict with the agency's political leaders over their zeal to encourage the collection of data about students' academic performance. (Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 1)

Ruling on online term papers cites copyright questions -- A district court judge in Illinois has ordered the owner of a Web-based company to stop selling term papers unless he can prove he has permission from the papers' authors. (USA Today, Feb. 1)


COMMUNITY COLLEGES

A Community College Climbs Back Slowly After Katrina (Chronicle of Higher Education, Jan. 31)

America's Forgotten Colleges(Huffington Post, Feb. 1)


NATIONAL NEWS

How Obama's budget affects Illinois -- President Barack Obama's budget boosts plans to buy an Illinois prison and use it as a detention center for terrorism suspects, but offers a setback to another Illinois concern, recommending no further military purchases of an aircraft made by Chicago -based Boeing Co. (Chicago Tribune, Feb. 2)

Obama sends $3.8 trillion budget to Congress (Market Watch, Feb. 1)


AFT

AFT Executive Vice President Lorretta Johnson Recognized as a Heroine of Education (AFT Leadernet, Feb. 5)


IFT

IFT discusses pensions Watch a short video that highlights important pension fact

Connect with fellow union members via social networking


LABOR

SEIU: Bank Of America Fraud Indictment Goes To Heart Of Financial Crisis (Workers Independent News, Feb. 4)

Study On Wages, Insurance And Retirement Shows It Pays To Be In A Union (Workers Independent News, Feb. 4)

Union leader: 'Card check' will pass in 2010 (The Hill, Jan. 31)

Teacher pension fund suit: Northern Trust botched assets -- The Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund has filed suit against Northern Trust Co., alleging the bank and investment management company improperly managed fund assets by placing them in risky, long-term securities that plummeted in value. (Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 2)

“A Welcome Debate” over Labor Reform Wilma B. Liebman, new chair of the NLRB, talks with Academe about labor law, academics, and reversing ossification. (Academe, January-February, 2010)


HEALTHCARE & PENSIONS

Medical expenses have 'very steep rate of growth' (USA Today, Feb. 4)

State health plans in jeopardy (USA Today, Feb. 3)

State Journal-Register: "Delays in paying health insurance bills hit home" -- The Jan. 15 edition of the Springfield State Journal-Register shines a light on how some health providers are asking state and university employees, retirees and their dependents to cover costs that should be paid by the state. (AFSCME Council 31, Jan. 15)

Teacher pension fund suit: Northern Trust botched assets -- The Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund has filed suit against Northern Trust Co., alleging the bank and investment management company improperly managed fund assets by placing them in risky, long-term securities that plummeted in value. (Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 2)

William and Mary Moves to End Large Pre-Retirement Raises (Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 2)

IFT discusses pensions Watch a short video that highlights important pension facts

saveillinoismapgrants.com NBC Nightly News HiNi video link UPI COPE Web page John Murphy on ABC IFT OAC