70 Years of advocacy for excellence & equity in public education

Our History

UFEA was established in 1954, became an Illinois Education Association affiliate in 1963, and became part of the National Education Association in 1976. We’ve come a long way in 70 years — and especially in the last 40 years following the passage of IEA’s collective bargaining bill.

UFEA through the years

1954

Becoming UFEA

Unit Five Education Association established.

1954-1956

First president

Vita Chapman, a teacher in Carlock, elected as the first president of UFEA.

1960s

The early years

The paternalistic administrator-teacher relationship that had long been established in the schools carried over into the professional organization. Though teachers comprised the majority of the membership, leadership came largely from the ranks of the school administrators. Throughout the decade a growing number of classroom teachers, frustrated by their lack of input in classroom matters and seeking improvements in salary and benefits, began asserting themselves in the organization. They demanded an association that would help them meet their needs.

April 10, 1963

An IEA local

UFEA is chartered as a local with the Illinois Education Association.

1969

IEA changes

New IEA priorities include contract negotiations addressing salary and benefits as well as class size, curriculum and other work-related issues.

1970

$7,040

Beginning teachers in Unit 5 earn $7,040 per year — $640 more than the year before.

1971

Teachers take control

Classroom teachers assumed control of the IEA. Administrators gradually left the membership ranks, unified dues with the National Education Association were established, and the UniServ system with field offices was adopted, laying the groundwork for the union we have today.

October 1974

IPACE is created

IEA creates the Illinois Political Action Committee for Education (IPACE) with the Illinois State Board of Elections, empowering IEA to financially support candidates, campaigns and causes which support public education.

February 1, 1976

UFEA joins NEA

UFEA is chartered as a local with the National Education Association.

Late 1970s

Lots of little wins add up

IEA experiences significant electoral success and continues pushing for a collective bargaining law. Successes were often small and built on previous wins — a little progress at a time, legislatively.

1978

IEA gets Big Jim elected

After years of IEA experiencing significant electoral success and continuing to push for a collective bargaining law, Republican Jim Thompson wins election as Governor of Illinois, with IEA as the only union backing him. He pledges support for the IEA’s collective bargaining law.

April 1979

Let’s go on strike

Though they don’t strike, UFEA explores the possibility of recognition strikes and engages in collective action With no collective bargaining law, many locals engage in strikes during the 1970s — an average of 25 per year — often just to attempt to earn recognition from school boards and to negotiate contracts.

August 1978

7-0

As they have for several years, the Unit 5 Board of Education votes down a request from UFEA to negotiate a contract.

1980

Electing school board members

As they have for several years, the Unit 5 Board of Education votes down a request from UFEA to negotiate a contract.

1980

4-3: Getting closer

As they have for several years, the Unit 5 Board of Education votes down a request from UFEA to negotiate a contract.

1982

It’s official

Unit 5 educators vote to have UFEA serve as their exclusive bargaining representative.

1982

We’re half-way there

A “mini” collective bargaining law passes in Illinois — to take effect in 1982 — which forces districts to recognize unions but not to bargain with them.

1983

It’s the law

The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act (IELRA) is signed by Republican Governor Jim Thompson and goes into effect January 1, 1984. IEA President Reg Weaver led the effort to get the bill passed in 1983. The IELRA required districts to recognize local unions and bargain with them.

UFEA leader and president (1982-84) Jan Kilgus explained that the IELRA allowed teachers to take ownership of the profession and to fight for improved learning conditions for students and working conditions for educators.

January 11, 1984

UFEA files for contract talks

With the new collective bargaining law in place, UFEA makes a formal demand to bargain — and for the first time, the school board has to negotiate with UFEA.

1984

A first master contract

UFEA settles its first official collective bargaining agreement with Unit 5, covering 1984-85 and 1985-86.

1997

Staying politically engaged

Unit Five Education Association-IPACE was formally created to support local candidates and campaigns – including referendum efforts and school board candidates.

IEA’s collective bargaining history.

40 years ago, the Illinois Education Association’s (IEA) collective bargaining bill, officially known as the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act (IELRA) , passed through the legislature and was signed into law by Republican Governor Jim Thompson.

The IELRA gave education employees the right to collectively bargain and required school districts to bargain with them. This video details the decades long battle the IEA eventually won to create the IELRA. The story begins in Illinois when there were still segregated, and female teachers were required to wear skirts. It follows the years and years of hard work put in by thousands of IEA members and staff members to create the law. This story is more than a legislative one, we also explore how the creation of the IEA Minority Caucus not only helped pass the IELRA, but also helped IEA become the largest union in Illinois.

Honor our past. Light the way for the future.

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