News

Faculty union ratifies contract

Shantel Lewis, Editor-in-Chief

March 2, 2026

Faculty members cheer on ECCFA President Dan Kernler after concluding a speech on January 27, 2026. The faculty association has been present at ECC for over 30 years.

Elgin Community College Faculty Association (ECCFA) ratified an agreement on Saturday.

The support for the tentative agreement between ECCFA and the Board of Trustees (BOT) was nearly a unanimous vote by ECCFA members, according to the Communications Liaison Laruen Sullivan.

The Board Of Trustees will vote on the agreement at their next meeting, March 10.

“We appreciate the time and dedication demonstrated by everyone involved in reaching this point,” said ECCFA President Dan Kernler in a statement. “We are optimistic the Board of Trustees will ratify the agreement at their next meeting.”

ECC’s professors and librarians have not had a renewed contract since Dec.31 2025. The ratification of the ECCFA agreement comes after Elgin Community College Faculty Administration (ECCFA) held a demonstration during the spring convocation on Jan. 8, and picketing at a Jan. 27,2026 BOT meeting, and months of negotiations meetings.

“We are grateful for the support of our members,” said ECCFA’s Chief Negotiator Kim Tarver in a statement. “We recognize this would not have been possible without the strong foundation our previous negotiations teams built for us to stand on.”

ECCFA has about 350 members.

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About the Contributors

Shantel Lewis, Editor-in-Chief

This is Lewis’ second year at ECC majoring in Education. Lewis joined the Observer because of her love of writing, podcasting and having meaningful conversations. The Observer provides her opportunities to perfect my writing skills, connect with others, and public speaking. Lewis is interested in covering student life as well as what’s going on in the world. She hopes to achieve fluency in AP style writing and graduate with the skills of a remarkable journalist. Her motto is simple and one that she likes to live by and that’s being the change you want to see in the world, and shine bright while you’re doing it. Contact Information: [email protected]

JP Ramos, Photography Editor

After graduating from ECC in 2022, Ramos joins the Observer for his first year to focus on utilizing and honing on his photography skills in the medium of photojournalism. He also seeks to become more experienced in newswriting and media. Music, sports, and student-life are topics he’s interested in covering, while also having a passion for film. Refining his storytelling and composition through his photography is what Ramos hopes to achieve during his time at the Observer. He engages life through the motto, “be kind, especially when we don’t know what’s going on.” Contact: [email protected]