Faculty at University of Illinois Springfield reach tentative agreement to end strike

Source: Capital News Illinois

Classes resume as union calls for chancellor’s resignation

by Ben Szalinski April 20, 2026

SPRINGFIELD — Faculty at the University of Illinois Springfield ended a more than two-week strike on Monday after reaching an agreement with university administrators overnight.

Tenured and tenure-track faculty at UIS, one of three University of Illinois system institutions, went on strike on April 3 after failing to reach an agreement with UIS administrators over pay increases. The two parties came to an agreement after hours of negotiations on Sunday.

Both sides declined to specify the terms of the agreement until after the UIS United Faculty union could ratify the agreement in the coming days.

“Our bargaining team made the difficult decision to suspend this strike because we do not want our students to lose further instructional time as they head into final exams and graduation,” Dathan Powell, the union president and UIS theater professor, said in a statement.


University of Illinois Springfield faculty union president Dathan Powell speaks at a news conference on the first day at the campus on April 3, 2026. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jenna Schweikert)

Read more: https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/faculty-at-university-of-illinois-springfield-reach-tentative-agreement-to-end-strike/