Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to let you know that I have resigned my position as President of NTFC, as well as my role as co-lead negotiator for the 3rd contract.
This was a deeply difficult decision. I have loved being your President, and I have loved helping to represent us at the bargaining table. But, my mother has been diagnosed with late stage pancreatic cancer, and I cannot faithfully execute either of these roles during this time.
It has been an absolute honor to serve NTFC, and I know I am leaving our union with strong leadership still in place.
It is of note that we are currently fighting for a leave policy that would have allowed me to stop teaching and be with my mother full-time. If I were Specialized Faculty at the University of Illinois Chicago, I could do this right now. As Specialized Faculty at the flagship campus, I cannot. Maybe our Board of Trustees and administrators can afford to take unpaid leave (FMLA), but I cannot.
And remember, even if the other side does concede this to us in Contract 3, without a union, they would not have given it to us. If they were going to, they would have done so in the last 15 years. They want the status quo. We demand better. This is why we are here. This is what we are fighting for.
I’m sure many of you have been in a situation similar to the one I currently face. I wish no future members ever have to join us.
To make sure they don’t, please support our Bargaining Team in whatever way you can in these negotiations.
Let’s make sure none of us ever has to be in a hospital room counting sick days and burning through their savings just to be with the ones they love in their final days.
In Solidarity,
Amanda Bales
Teaching Assistant Professor, English
Your Former NTFC President