SIU faculty to vote Sept. 28 on possible strike

Faculty at Southern Illinois University's flagship campus in Carbondale will be voting later this month on whether to go on strike as part of a lingering contract dispute.

The Southern Illinoisan reports that the group representing tenured and tenure-track faculty at the 20,000-student school voted unanimously Thursday to seek a strike-authorization vote. That means the entire membership will vote Sept. 28 on whether a walkout is in order.

A representative of the group says the union began bargaining with the administration in April of last year.

A spokesman for the university told The Associated Press on Friday he hopes both sides continue talks. He says a walkout would be unfortunate but that the school would do whatever it takes to minimize disruption of courses during a strike.