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Western, UPI Reach Five-Year Tentative Agreement

March 2, 2010

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MACOMB, IL -- Western Illinois University President Al Goldfarb and University Professionals of Illinois (UPI) WIU Chapter President John Miller announced a tentative agreement on a five-year contract for faculty and academic support staff.

Pending ratification by collective bargaining unit members and the WIU Board of Trustees, the agreement will set contract terms for the 2010-2011 through 2014-2015 academic years.

"We are pleased to have completed negotiations and reached a compromise in advance of the Fall 2010 semester," said WIU President Al Goldfarb. "Representatives of the faculty and academic support staff bargaining team have worked cooperatively with administrative representatives to address issues of shared concern. I greatly appreciate the UPI leadership's commitment to working through a new five-year contract."

Details of the agreement will not be released until the UPI leadership has the opportunity to inform members of contract changes and the wage and benefits package. Following a ratification vote, the contract will be forwarded to the WIU Board of Trustees for consideration.

"We began working on this in July (2009) with numerous meetings and several surveys of our members," Miller said. "I am pleased that the administration was open to our ideas and worked cooperatively with us to complete this agreement. The UPI can now bring a tentative agreement to bargaining unit members that we endorse. My thanks to all members of the UPI and administrative teams for their forthright and cooperative approach to achieving this agreement. I particularly want to thank all of the UPI Department Representatives, House of Delegate members, members of our finance committee and the Quad Cities faculty council for their consultation and suggestions in this process."

Miller said the distribution of contract information will begin with contract announcement meetings Monday, March 8 on the Macomb campus and Tuesday, March 9 on the Quad Cities campus (times and locations TBA). A ratification vote will occur in April. The contract is expected to go before Western's Board of Trustees at its June meeting.

"WIU finds itself, like all other state colleges and universities, in a difficult economic reality," said Miller. "This agreement recognizes these difficulties while protecting the institution and our members' employment and working conditions over the next five years."

Posted By: Darcie Shinberger, University Relations
Phone: (309) 298-1993 * Fax: (309) 298-1606