ISU faculty press trustees over paid parental leave, warn of strike authorization

At the Board of Trustees meeting on Feb. 21, 2025, multiple tenure-track faculty and union representatives urged trustees to direct the administration's bargaining team to resolve stalled contract negotiations on pay and paid parental leave. Speakers warned that continued delay could lead faculty to authorize a strike.

Dr. Jessica Rick, a faculty member and member of United Faculty ISU, told trustees that ISU’s current bargaining proposal leaves new faculty without paid parental leave. “I would not have been able to make half of my prenatal appointments without those 45 hours being used up,” Rick said, referring to the 45 hours of sick leave available to new faculty. She described a high‑risk pregnancy that required 42 prenatal visits and multiple ER trips, and said under the administration’s approach she “would need to return to work” soon after a major surgery because paid leave options are not available to many new faculty.

The issue, Rick added, is not only medical but affects recruitment and retention: she said that, “on average, other Illinois public 4‑year institutions offer 3 and a half weeks of paid leave,” and that ISU’s listed peer institutions on the university website offer five weeks.

Dr. Joseph Zompetti, a tenured professor and union member, framed the matter as part of a broader dispute over compensation and priorities. He criticized the administration’s spending decisions while faculty households struggle to make ends meet and said the university “hired a labor buster at nearly half a million dollars who has stalled our union for a year.” Zompetti warned that faculty were prepared to take collective action if talks remained stalled: “We are now at that point…where we will do what we need to just to survive, including striking.”

Ashley Farmer, lead negotiator for the United Faculty ISU bargaining team, said the faculty have been bargaining nearly a year and that three more mediation sessions are scheduled. Farmer told the board, “We need a fair contract now,” and displayed a stack of cards representing tenured and tenure‑track faculty who have committed to vote to authorize a strike.

Later in the meeting, the campus communication committee — represented by Dr. Martha Hurst — noted a multi‑year pattern of “discordant labor relations” at ISU and cited recent mediation involving multiple unions as evidence the issue remains unresolved. The committee letter urged trustees and administration to develop strategies for more productive, collaborative bargaining.

The board took no immediate change to bargaining strategy in open session. At the meeting’s conclusion trustees moved into a closed session that included “collective negotiating bargaining matters” under 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(2); Trustee Jones made the motion, Trustee Navarro seconded, and the roll call vote to enter closed session was recorded as affirmative.

Why it matters: Faculty say the absence of a formal paid parental leave policy harms recruitment and retention and places new faculty at financial and health risk; trustees oversee the president and bargaining teams and can influence priorities but formal bargaining occurs between administration and union representatives.

Speakers

- Dr. Jessica Rick — ISU faculty member; United Faculty ISU member - Dr. Joseph (Joe) Zompetti — Professor, School of Communication; United Faculty/UPI member - Ashley Farmer — Lead negotiator, United Faculty ISU bargaining team - Dr. Martha Hurst — Professor; chair, campus communication committee (spoke for the committee) - Trustee Jones — Board member (moved closed‑session motion) - Trustee Navarro — Board member (seconded closed‑session motion)

Authorities

- Illinois Open Meetings Act — referenced regarding notice of the meeting - 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(2) — statute cited in motion to enter closed session (collective bargaining)

Actions

- Motion: Move into closed session for collective bargaining and litigation (5 ILCS 120/2(c)(2), 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(11), 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(21)) - Mover: Trustee Jones - Second: Trustee Navarro - Outcome: Approved (roll call affirmative) - Notes: Roll call recorded in transcript; meeting moved into closed session and returned to public session for adjournment only.

Clarifying_details

- faculty_sick_leave: "45 hours" (as cited by Dr. Jessica Rick) — category: leave entitlement - peer_paid_leave: "other Illinois public 4‑year institutions offer 3 and a half weeks; ISU peers listed offer 5 weeks" — category: comparative policy (as stated by Dr. Rick) - mediation_sessions: "three more mediation sessions" scheduled (as stated by Ashley Farmer)

Proper_names

- Illinois State University (organization)

Searchable_tags

["labor","faculty","paid_parental_leave","union","collective_bargaining","UFISU","trustees"]