University of Illinois Springfield faculty go on strike

Negotiations over wages and other concerns fail to produce a deal, leading to the first faculty strike at UIS since 2017.

Apr. 3, 2026 at 9:08pm

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A brightly colored, high-contrast silkscreen print of a mortar board or diploma repeated in a tight grid pattern, rendered in a bold, neon color palette with heavy black outlines to create a modern pop art interpretation of an academic symbol.The vibrant visual energy of a silkscreen pop art tribute captures the spirit of the University of Illinois Springfield faculty strike, as they fight for better pay and resources to support their students.Springfield Today

Faculty at the University of Illinois Springfield went on strike on Friday after contract negotiations with the university administration failed to produce satisfactory wage increases and address other concerns. The strike at the campus of 4,300 students marks the first by a public university in Illinois since 2023. The UIS United Faculty Union has been unable to reach an agreement with the administration after voting last month to authorize a strike.

Why it matters

The strike highlights ongoing tensions between faculty and administration over compensation and resources at the University of Illinois system's smaller campuses, as the state legislature considers a new higher education funding formula that could shift more money to these institutions.

The details

The key points of contention in the negotiations include the size of cost-of-living adjustments, with the administration offering 1% raises and the union seeking 2.6% in the current fiscal year and 6% over the next two years. The union also wants to boost the $55,000 minimum salary set in 2017 by $11,000, while the university has offered a $2,000 increase. Other issues include funding for faculty to attend conferences and protections from artificial intelligence.

  • The faculty union's contract with the university expired last August.
  • The union voted to authorize a strike in late March 2026.
  • The strike began on Friday, April 3, 2026.

The players

Dathan Powell

An associate theater professor and president of the UIS faculty union.

John Miller

President of the University Professionals of Illinois, the union representing UIS faculty.

University of Illinois Springfield

One of the three University of Illinois system schools, with an enrollment of 4,300 students.

UIS United Faculty Union

The union representing tenure and tenure-track faculty at the University of Illinois Springfield.

Braden Nuttall

A communications student at the University of Illinois Springfield who spoke in support of the faculty strike.

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What they’re saying

“This is not where we wanted to be on this beautiful Friday morning. We wanted to be in our classrooms. We wanted to be in our offices with our students, working with them on research, doing service for this institution to keep it running. But we're out here. We're out here because the administration of this university has not been valuing its students. It values its students when it invests in its faculty, in its staff and in the institution itself.”

— Dathan Powell, Associate theater professor and president of the UIS faculty union

“When you hurt the faculty, you hurt the students. We are not separate; we are one. One does not come without the other. The faculty is not asking for anything more than what they truly deserve.”

— Braden Nuttall, UIS communications student

“What they're providing would not even buy or fill a tank of gas.”

— John Miller, President of the University Professionals of Illinois

What’s next

The next bargaining session between the UIS faculty union and the university administration had not been set as of Friday morning, according to union president Dathan Powell.

The takeaway

This strike highlights the ongoing tensions between faculty and administration over compensation and resources at the University of Illinois system's smaller campuses, as the state legislature considers a new higher education funding formula that could shift more money to these institutions. The dispute also reflects broader concerns about the prioritization of funding within the U of I system.