The 5-day strike at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been cancelled and classes have resumed as scheduled.
The Non-Tenure Faculty Coalition Local 6546 reached an agreement with the administration over the weekend after meeting with federal mediators on Friday and Saturday. The strike began last Thursday after negotiations ended Wednesday without a possible deal. The educators also held a work-in and two-day strike last month in their push for a labor contract.
After voting unanimously on Sunday to accept the contract negotiated over the weekend, there will be a vote to ratify the deal on Thursday.
"We are happy to say that after more than a year and a half of negotiations we reached the goals that were most important to our members," said union spokeswoman Dorothee Schneider.
This is will be union's first contract with the university and Local President Shawn Gilmore says he is "elated" with the deal, which features evaluation-based multiyear contracts for faulty that have been on staff for more than five years and offers "very good protections" for appointments and reappointments. The contract also reportedly puts in place provisions that will enhance academic freedom, increase job security and allow for educators to be active in faculty governance.