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CAT Tracks for November 3, 2011
SIU-C...FA ANNOUNCES STRIKE |
Breaking News...
As of 5:10 a.m.,the other three unions have confirmed that they have reached tentative agreements with SIU-C.
Stay tuned...
From the Southern Illinoisan...
Faculty Association goes on strike
BY CODELL RODRIGUEZ
The union representing SIU Carbondale tenured and tenure-track faculty said it was on strike as of 12:01 a.m. today.
Speaking at the combined union headquarters at the old Carbondale Community High School building on High Street, Faculty Association spokesman David Johnson announced the strike.
The other three IEA-affiliated unions, as far as Johnson knew, were still in negotiations, he said.
Although the Faculty Association strike officially began at 12:01 a.m., it was not possible to determine whether the walkout might be brief or lengthy, or what number of teachers would honor picket lines set go up at 6 a.m.
Leaders for the SIU administration and unions offered little new information as the strike deadline passed.
Negotiations have been under way for more than a year. The unions filed an intent to strike in April and voted to give strike authorization to representative councils in late September and early October before setting the strike date for Nov. 3.
On social media and text messaging, Chancellor Rita Cheng told students to report to classes today.
"In the event any of the unions chooses to strike tomorrow (today),we are prepared to maintain normal operations across the campus," Cheng said on the university's Facebook page.
She wrote, "Your classes will meet as regularly scheduled in their normal locations, and I encourage you to attend all of your classes."
In past interviews, Cheng said the university would seek replacements to fill in for missing faculty. The substitutes would include retired faculty and professionals.
SIU Carbondale spokesman Rod Sievers said deans and department chairs will be in charge of determining who is in class and who isn't. He said plans would be made for what help is needed in each department after an assessment is made. He said students are still encouraged to go to class, and attendance will still be taken.
At the Student Recreation Center on Wednesday night, Sean Wheeler, a junior in biology from Mount Prospect, said it was a shame to see the university on the verge of a strike.
Wheeler said it is clear the administration and the unions have not been on the same page and the events leading up to a strike have been "a gigantic distraction" for students.
Wheeler said he will continue to go to class as long as there is a class to go to, but he added there are classes where a substitute teacher would not be a sufficient replacement.
"We're not getting the quality of education we came here to get," Wheeler said.
Alex Bessonov, a junior in automotive technology from Chicago, said without a professor he doesn't see a reason to go to a class.
"I'm not going to learn anything," Bessonov said.
- Reporter Stephen Rickerl contributed to this report.
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CAT Tracks Editor's Note:
As evident above, "The Southern" and other local media will be all over this story as it plays out.
For in-depth media coverage, the best source will most likely be The Dailly Egyptian - "the student-run newspaper for the SIUC community, serving the campus since 1916."
Another source of "inside" information is the SIUC Unions United website.
The Southern
Posted: Thursday, November 3, 2011 12:50 a.m.
