Statement of Solidarity with UICUF
On Tuesday, January 17, members of UIC United Faculty announced a strike.
Staff and students at the following University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health centers stand in solidarity with UIC United Faculty (UICUF) who are negotiating with the University for fair and just working conditions. As public health practitioners, we see healthy work as an essential condition for healthy living. We recognize labor unions as a critical part of the social fabric that enables workers to gain working conditions that can better promote their health. Thus, we strongly support UIC UF’s efforts to advocate for a fair contract including increased wages and job security, and additional supports for the students they serve.
As part of each of our center’s missions, we collaborate with community groups, non-profit organizations, workers’ rights organizations, and more to support jobs that:
- Pay a livable wage
- Include affordable health insurance
- Offer job security
- Are free from workplace hazards
- Offer opportunities for advancement
- Are free from illegal discrimination
- Include benefits such as paid sick leave, paid vacation, and retirement savings
We would be remiss to promote healthy work outside of the university without recognizing the opportunities to promote it at our own institution. Our commitment to equity and to upholding the high standards of the university compels us to look inward at this moment and support efforts to bring greater security for our faculty and services for our students. Faculty are a critical component of the university; from research with community to teaching in the classroom, without their work, the university would not be able to pursue its goal of a more equitable and democratic society at large. We stand by faculty in their pursuit of healthier work.
On behalf of,
The UIC SPH Center for Healthy Work
The UIC SPH Collaboratory for Health Justice
The UIC SPH Great Lakes Center for Farmworker Health and Well-being
The UIC SPH Great Lakes Center for Occupational Health and Safety
The UIC SPH Office of Diversity and Inclusion
This statement should not be taken as an official position of the University of Illinois Chicago. It was prepared by staff within the respective centers.