How a strike by ISU's faculty would work - and what happens next

[Omaha Steve]

WGLT | By Ryan Denham
Published March 26, 2025 at 10:19 AM CDT

If you’re wondering what it’s like when a university’s faculty goes on strike, talk to Mike Hart.

He was the president of the Governor’s State University faculty union — and their lead negotiator — when they went on strike for five days in April 2023. Fresh off a heart operation at the time, Hart said it was a scary, stressful and bizarre time for the small campus just south of Chicago.

“I didn’t sleep but maybe two hours a night the entire week, if that,” Hart told WGLT. “The second you go on strike, the first thought in your mind is, ‘How do I get these people back to work?’”

Illinois State University is on the brink of a faculty strike of its own. The United Faculty of ISU union, which represents around 650 tenured and tenure-track faculty, could strike as soon as April 4 if it’s unable to reach an agreement on its first contract. Pay has been one of the big sticking points.

FULL story: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-03-26/how-a-strike-by-isus-faculty-would-work-and-what-happens-next