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University Professionals
of Illinois
Local 4100, IFT, AFL-CIO
Unions are happening!
Students from Illinois universities joined faculty at the IBHE meeting
November 12, 2025
Students from Illinois universities joined unionized faculty at the Illinois Board of Higher Education meeting today to speak out and deliver thousands of signed postcards from campuses statewide.
Their message? Springfield owes our universities at least $1.4 billion, including $25 million in unreleased funds, and students are paying the price for decades of state underfunding.
Together, students and university faculty and staff are calling on the IBHE to urge lawmakers to pass legislation...
Keep Up the good work & take time for yourself
There has been a lot going on and it seems overwhelming. Take time for selfcare too. It's important to peacefully protest and equally important to take care of yourself.
Every phone call, letter, email, and postcard help keep the issues before our representatives.
The pressure is working, keep up the good work.
November 15, 2025 Tri States Public Radio | By Rich Egger
“There is no good year, right? Every year is always a reason not to do something. So when is the reason to do something?” said John Miller, President of the UPI 4100.
“I like to tell folks to think about how much money you made in 2002, and imagine living on that today. And that’s what the state has done for public higher education with the exception of one university, and that’s the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.”
He’s grateful UIUC is well-funded, but he said the other public universities – including the University of Illinois campuses in Springfield and Chicago – and their students deserve a similar investment.
UPI Local #4100 President John Miller speaks at IFT rally for fair funding of higher education in Springfield.
November 12, 2025
UPI President John Miller speaking at the rally in Springfield for the proper funding our educational institutions.
He speaks of a time when he delivered newspapers and teachers who had been laid off needing the help wanted ads. He seen the fear, anger and frustration in their faces. He saw it again, at WIU and again, when EIU laid off 40 professionals. And yet, another institution is facing deficit spending.
The underfunding is leading to students leaving our state for other universities.
Illinois is underfunding higher education by $1.4 billion, Governor Pritzker We need our money!
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