Voting at College of DuPage Faculty Association allows bargain team to call a strike

The College of DuPage Faculty Association (CODFA) voted today in the favor of authorizing a strike. The campus-wide voting was held by CODFA and the votes were counted in the evening. The CODFA conducted a strike voting for the first time in 25 years. The CODFA bargaining team has got the authority to call a strike after the vote.

Shannon Toler, the president of CODFA, said, “This vote protects our right to use our collective voice to advocate for our students.” It will the first time in the history of the CODFA if it will go on a strike, according to Toler. Toler said that they did not want to shut down the college but they would fight for the success of the students.

The CODFA need to send an intent to strike notice to the College of DuPage (COD) for conducting a legal strike. The intent to strike notice is also needed to be sent to the regional superintendent and the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board (IELRB). The CODFA has not filed any intent to strike notice so far. The CODFA and the Board of Trustees of the COD have been negotiating since March 2019.

The current voting conduct shows that the mediation between them is not successful. The COD is a renowned Hispanic Serving Institution which teaches more than 26000 students. 304 members of the COD faculty are the part of the CODFA. The current contract of the CODFA has been expired on August 14. The full-time members are working without a contract at the moment.

Toler said, “We will continue to work with the board and come to an agreement that put students first.” The CODFA and the board are looking to find common ground but the current proposal of the board does not match with the condition and practice of the college, according to the president. The members of the CODFA are planning to record their protest on September 19 during the meeting of the BOT in the Students Service Center room.