NTFC Local #6546 Bargaining Unit
By law our bargaining unit comprises only full-time faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who are not on the tenure track or tenured. The University defines “full-time” as an appointment of 51% or more. Common titles for bargaining unit members are: Instructor, Lecturer, Teaching (Assistant/Associate) Professor, Clinical (Assistant/Associate) Professor, Research (Assistant/Associate) Professor. “Visiting” NTT faculty are part of our bargaining unit as well.
Excluded from the bargaining unit are specialized faculty who work in the College of Law, the College of Medicine and the College of Veterinary Medicine. Specialized faculty with majority appointments in these three colleges are never in the bargaining unit. Also excluded from the bargaining unit are faculty members whose major responsibilities (more than 50% of their assigned duties) are administrative .
Academic Professionals are not part of the NTT bargaining unit, nor are Post-Doctoral Research Associates. Teaching Associates at University High School are also not part of the NTT bargaining unit. These teachers have their own certified union, the Uni High Faculty Organization (UFO). Since bargaining unit members must be full time, adjunct faculty (i.e. part timers) are not part of the unit.
The NTFC’s bargaining unit varies in size from semester to semester. Because of a general increase in hiring specialized faculty throughout campus, it has grown by more than 50% in the last ten years. The size of the bargaining unit is approximately 700 members as of Fall 2024.
For more information on the sub-categories of our bargaining unit click on the appropriate title:
Union Membership vs. Bargaining Unit Membership
NTFC Local #6546 represents all bargaining unit members in contract negotiations and grievance procedures. But in order to shape our future, bargaining unit members need to become union members as well. Union members participate in bargaining, set priorities for contract negotiations, plan actions and communicate our program to the wider campus community and beyond.
Union membership provides certain privileges and protections beyond our Local. Because we are affiliated with the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of Teachers and the American Association of University Professors, members can access the expertise and information of these organizations, including legal expertise.
Click Here to Join
Fill out the digital membership card below if you’d like to become a member of NTFC. By joining, you agree to pay union dues at a rate of 1.5% of your yearly salary up to the first $100,000 made over a 12-month period. Click here for more information about union dues.
