February 21, 2025

If you missed it, more than 100 UFISU members packed Old Main, where the meeting was held, as well as the Spotlight Room, which had been set up for ‘overflow’ attendees. This was a powerful (and joyful!) demonstration of our collective demand for a fair contract!

Three UFISU members took to the podium during the meeting’s public comment period. Dr. Jessica Rick, Assistant Professor of Communication, drew on her research expertise and personal experiences as a parent to make absolutely clear the need for an improved new child leave policy for ISU faculty - like the one we have been pushing for at the bargaining table for nearly a year! Dr. Joseph Zompetti, Professor of Communication, spoke eloquently of the financial stresses that ISU faculty face, especially with the inflationary pressures of recent years, and made a powerful call for ISU admin to pay us what we’re worth. And, last but certainly not least, Dr. Ashley Farmer, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Sciences and lead negotiator for UFISU’s table team, channeled both the desire that so many of our members have expressed to achieve a fair contract now, as well their frustrations with the administration’s bargaining tactics. Then came an especially powerful moment, as Dr. Farmer laid on the podium a thick stack of cards signed by a “militant majority” of ISU faculty members who have pledged to do what it takes - including and up to a work stoppage - to achieve a fair contract in a timely manner.

If you want to read and/or watch more about our actions at the Board of Trustees, you can find reporting at WGLT, the Pantagraph, 25 News Now, and WMBD.

This declaration comes after nearly a year of bargaining and thousands of conversations with UFISU members. Faculty do not take this step lightly. We love our students and care deeply about the work we do, including teaching, research, service, and creative activities. We have attempted to forge a productive, respectful relationship with university administration, who is risking a strike by continuing to slow-walk the process and under invest in faculty wages and student success.

If you have questions, contact a member of UFISU’s Strike Action Squad. You can also email us at unitedfacultyISU@gmail.com.

We will also take this opportunity to provide some information that may help to provide initial responses to questions you may have:

In Unity,
Your Strike Action Squad