Nearly 600 faculty members of the Columbia Faculty Union went on strike at 9 a.m. Monday. The part-time faculty members at Columbia College ruled to strike on Wednesday.

The Columbia Faculty Union held a press conference at 10:30 a.m. Monday at 600 Michigan Avenue, Chicago. 

More than 81% of faculty members voted in the decision to strike, with 88% of the voters voting in favor of striking. 

The faculty members are going on strike because of the administration’s mandate to eliminate hundreds of already enrolled courses, in effect dramatically increasing class sizes. The faculty also claims Columbia leaders made no effort to inform the faculty of their plan. 

“Despite repeated attempts to collaborate with the (university president Kwang-Wu) Kim administration to address student needs and faculty’s equity concerns, college leaders continue to reject our efforts and ignore the voices of Columbia’s students and educators,” said CFAC president and photography professor Diana Vallera. “This administration has made it clear that they do not intend to work with us to find solutions, so they have forced us to strike to make our voices heard.”

In response to the cuts being made by Columbia’s administration, the CFAC filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge against the administration with the National Labor Relations Board in August.

“This administration has a choice,” Vallera said. “Instead of partnering with us as professionals to find a better path forward, they have chosen to cancel hundreds of courses that our students need and part-time unionized faculty teach. It is a callous attempt to close a budget gap that they have refused to clearly define. Columbia’s most marginalized faculty and students will suffer from their choice, and we won’t let that happen.”

The next bargaining session between the Columbia administration and Columbia’s faculty members is scheduled for Thursday.