Faculty Association Strike Day 2 Begins

The Faculty Association’s first day on strike has passed. Aside from the cold and rainy weather, it was a good first day for the picketing teams. Faculty Association picketers maintained a strong presence all day at the numerous entrances to campus. Picketers were joined by many students and members of other locals in a upbeat and spirited display of solidarity. Passersby were overwhelmingly supportive.

Many thanks to all of the individuals who were picketing on the line, running supplies to picketers and providing support at the Strike Headquarters, as well as all of those who supported the strike by not going to work. If you haven’t experienced the camaraderie of working on one of these teams, you have another chance today (Friday). Join a team at any of the picketing sites around the perimeter of campus, or show up at Strike Headquarters (west end of the old Carbondale High School, 880 West High Street just off of Oakland Avenue, one block north of Main Street).

Our goal is to negotiate a mutual agreement between the SIUC Faculty Association and the SIU Board of Trustees. Your FA Bargaining Team has been in bargaining for many months. They continued to work through the day Wednesday, up to the strike deadline, meeting with the Board Team, formulating options, and offering significant movement to meet administration interests, only to have these offers summarily rejected by the Board Team without any movement or counterproposal on the Board’s part. In striking against the SIUC Administration, we are exercising our remaining legal alternative to get the Board Team back to the bargaining table with the will and authority to reach a mutual agreement with the Faculty Association.

In solidarity,

Randy Hughes

hrhughes57@frontier.com