City Colleges of Chicago faculty, staff set strike date for next week

City Colleges of Chicago faculty and staff have set a strike date for Nov. 2 as contract negotiations continue over pay and class sizes.

Nearly 1,500 faculty and staff at seven campuses will strike next week if a contract isn’t reached, the Cook County College Teachers Union announced Tuesday. Negotiations began last October.

The union wants smaller class sizes, greater access to remote learning and student support, increased wraparound services and salary increases. The contract expired in July.

Faculty and staff at City Colleges include professors, college advisers, tutors, note-takers, laboratory technicians and IT personnel.

The union authorized a strike earlier this month, with 92% of union members voting in favor of it. Some members picketed outside of Harold Washington College before the City Colleges of Chicago board meeting on Oct. 6.

The union is “fighting for classroom investment to ensure that Chicago’s working-class students have real opportunities to succeed,” said Tony Johnston, president of Cook County College Teachers Union Local 1600.

“City Colleges is committed to negotiating in good faith with each of our professionals and faculty unions to finalize their respective contracts,” City Colleges spokeswoman Veronica Resa said in a statement.

The union said it plans to make strike signs and rally Thursday evening at its West Loop office.