University of Illinois Springfield faculty go on strike

Source: 25 News Now

By Ben Szalinski and Jenna Schweikert
Published: Apr. 3, 2026 at 9:16 PM CDT|Updated: 51 minutes ago

SPRINGFIELD — Faculty at the University of Illinois Springfield went on strike Friday after contract negotiations failed to produce satisfactory wage increases and address other concerns.

The strike at the campus of 4,300 students at one of the three University of Illinois system schools marks the first by a public university in Illinois since three universities went on strike in April 2023. It’s the first strike at UIS since May 2017.

Tenure and tenure-track faculty at UIS have been negotiating with administrators since last spring, when nontenured faculty avoided a strike. A 2022 collective bargaining agreement expired last August and despite help from a federal mediator, the UIS United Faculty Union has been unable to reach an agreement after voting last month to authorize a strike.

A group of several dozen faculty members and supporters held a rally on campus Friday after a 10-hour bargaining session on Thursday failed to produce a deal.



Read more: https://www.25newsnow.com/2026/04/04/university-illinois-springfield-faculty-go-strike/