We at the Daily Eastern News support Eastern’s chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois, EIU-UPI, in their ongoing negotiation for a new contract with Eastern. 

The negotiations have been ongoing since March of this year and despite their current contract ending today, the negotiating is still ongoing.

EIU-UPI represents a large variety of employees on campus including professors, academic advisors, annually contracted faculty, the tenured and tenure-track faculty and academic support professionals.

Currently, negotiations are continuing to try and increase pay for those in EIU-UPI, but Eastern’s administration is fighting back on it.

EIU-UPI is arguing that they haven’t received more than one percent pay increases a few times in over 10 years. 

With inflation and a pandemic, EIU-UPI is saying many faculty within this union do not make a livable wage.

We at the News have many employees within EIU-UPI as professors, advisors and some of us work with them during our on-campus jobs. 

This has led to us fully supporting EIU-UPI and wanting for their new contract to have increased pay and better benefits.

Administration is fighting back hard on the demands from EIU-UPI and are rejecting and counter offering proposals that are worse than the conditions in the old contract EIU-UPI is trying to improve.

It seems that once again Eastern is “All In” unless they would have to spend more funds on taking care of their employees.

It was just last year when the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local #981, AFSCME, finally received a fair contract with Eastern. However, it took time, strikes and protests to get a fair contract. 

Now it seems Eastern did not learn to treat their employees better the first time, so here we are doing it again.

To show your support towards your professors, advisors, and many more in EIU-UPI make sure to let administration know how you feel about the subject and attend the upcoming Teach Out on Sept. 8.

The News knows all too well that Eastern’s administration will not listen behind closed doors of a negotiation meeting, so we have to show the fight outdoors where everyone can see for Eastern to become “All In” for their own employees.