My name is Shannon Toler and I have worked at College of DuPage for 26 years, 18 of those as a full-time faculty member. I am here tonight proudly representing over 300 members of the COD Faculty Association. These are colleagues who have dedicated their careers to preparing District 502 students for a productive future. We are a top-performing transfer institution with cutting-edge programs created by faculty who understand workforce needs.

After two weeks of debate and deliberation about mediation, we are happy that COD has finally agreed to our request to enter mediation. We hope this is an indication of their willingness to take the next step towards a fair contract.

CODFA has also offered a comprehensive package for settlement that addresses the priorities articulated by your bargaining team and also results in fair compensation for our faculty. Most importantly, we believe our offer puts our students and their needs first.

Tonight, I’d also like to ask that you stop preparing for a strike by posting our jobs. And instead start focusing on reaching a fair agreement now.

I want to thank our union brothers and sisters in the COD Adjunct Association for the brave decision they have made not to take our jobs and the lucrative incentives offered by COD in the event of a strike. Thank you for standing with us in solidarity. Please understand the last thing CODFA wants is to go on strike. We want to be in our classrooms with our students. We want a fair contract now. Thank you.