Loyola University Updates

Monday, May 12 –

Recap #8

Dear Colleagues, 

Here is your recap of our eighth negotiation session for our third union contract (CBA). It took place on Monday, May 12, from 1:00-5:00PM. 

Management presented us with three new proposals and two counter-proposals. Their first proposal dealt with Status as Adjunct Instructors. Management is proposing to amend 25.4 (B) 3a from our current agreement which states that a part-time faculty member is eligible to apply for an appointment to Adjunct Instructor once they have, “completed at least five years of consecutive service as a part-time faculty member at the University” to after “completion of at least five (5) years of consecutive service as a unionized faculty member”. This change would affect any faculty moving into the College of Arts and Sciences from other departments within the university as well as graduate students moving into part-time faculty positions. 

Next, management countered our Office Space & Studio Facilities proposal. Management agreed only to full-time faculty members having private office space, as subject to availability with some provisions for reserving private spaces. Part-time faculty would be able to reserve space as needed, subject to availability. We had a robust discussion regarding the use of studio space for part-time faculty in the DFPA. We all agree that studio space should only be used for University business and work that enhances our teaching, also that part-time and full-time faculty should be able to use these spaces during the course of the academic year. We are still negotiating for part-time faculty to be able to use university studio spaces during breaks in the academic calendar. We are in the process of creating a transparent process to reserve art studio space with new protocols so that part-time faculty may have access to these spaces. 

Part-time faculty in the arts who have an interest in using studio spaces during winter and summer breaks and to prepare for an upcoming semester, we need your help! Our counter-proposal on Office Space and Studio Facilities would benefit greatly from part-time faculty member input. Please make every effort to attend the next bargaining session on 5/20 and/or a planning/writing session on Zoom prior to then. You are able to contact your union leadership about how to share your experiences, concerns, etc. at facultyforwardluc@gmail.com.

Management is crafting a proposal on Titles which they are holding until the new titles have been set by the President. Faculty Council and the Board of Trustees have already approved the new title changes. Management also presented no written counter to our Health and Safety proposal, so we look forward to seeing that at our next bargaining session (5/20). Management is holding their counter to our Course Cancellation Fee proposal until they see the rest of our economic proposals, though they indicated that they are amenable to a slightly higher fee.

LUC Faculty Forwards presented our proposals and counter-proposals on Immigration and EEO & Non Discrimination, with its accompanying Student Matters, along with new proposals on Faculty Evaluations and Faculty Development Funds (formerly Professional Development Funds).

 At this point in the meeting, negotiations became contentious. After both parties deliberated in caucus, Unionized faculty members raised concerns that the tone and specific word choices used by one of the members of the administration’s Bargaining Team were not conducive to productive negotiations, and inquired as to why management was not bargaining with us in good faith. Management responded that they find the substance of many of our proposals disrespectful, noting that 10 to 12 of our proposed articles thus far have been unacceptable to them. 

Our union has made clear that our proposals come from the sincere concerns and problem-solving concepts expressed by our members. We research and write our proposals in committees made up of volunteer FT and PT faculty from a variety of departments within CAS. We take our responsibilities as representatives of our members seriously, and thus do not propose any changes to our contract that we do not believe serves the best interest of the whole of the LUC community. We shared with the administrative Bargaining Team that our union strives to craft our proposals in a way that respects and values the perspectives of everyone involved in the process. We invited LUC management to carry these best practices into the bargaining of those proposals so as to make real progress possible for us all. 

The survey we took last year indicated that many of our members are eager to get a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) in our next union contract. The University’s Bargaining Team has already indicated that a COLA is not part of their vision for the CBA. 

Our next bargaining session is Tuesday May 20, 1:00-5:00PM, in Cuneo 410. Whether you can make it for the whole session or just a little while, we need you to attend. Whether you are sharing your perspective aloud and/or actively listening at our meetings, your presence is crucial. A show of solidarity from all of our faculty is necessary in order to win the pay, work/life balance and stability we all deserve in our third contract. You can learn more about what our union can accomplish with your help at our website: https://seiu73.org/updates/loyola-university-updates/

Upcoming Bargaining Sessions

5/20/25, 1-5 p.m.Cuneo 410

5/27/25, 1-5 p.m.Cuneo 410

6/10/25, 1-5 p.m.Cuneo 410

6/16/25, 1-5 p.m.Cuneo 410

In solidarity,

The Loyola Chicago Faculty Forward Bargaining Committee

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Previous bargaining session notes:

Tuesday-April-28-Session.pdf

Tuesday-April-22-Session.pdf

Wednesday-April-16-Session.pdf

Thursday-March-27-Session.pdf

Monday-March-10-Session.pdf

Monday-March-4-Session.pdf

Friday-February-21-Session.pdf