It's official. Northern Illinois University faculty members have formed a union. They were certified by the Illinois Labor Relations Board Monday.
NIU faculty members filed an intent to unionize in April: now they can get to work as the UFA -- the United Faculty Alliance of Northern Illinois University.It will represent more than 600 tenured and tenure track faculty members.
In a statement through the Illinois Federation of Teachers, NIU Professor Rosemary Feurer says the new union looks forward to forming its bargaining committee and starting work to negotiate a contract that's fair to faculty and students.
The union wants to have a stronger voice in administrative decisions at the university. NIU released a statement in April saying the school respects the faculty’s right to organize.