(CHICAGO) — More than 600 adjunct faculty members at Columbia College Chicago plan to walk off the job Monday morning, potentially disrupting the class schedules of many of the school’s 6,500 undergraduates.

Leaders of CFAC, the union representing Columbia College’s part-time professors, say members make up about two-thirds of the teaching staff at the arts-focused South Loop school. They estimate about 1,000 classes will be impacted.

The group last went on strike in 2017 over contract disputes related to job security and benefits. That walkout lasted two days.

The most recent conflict between the union and the college’s leadership began in August when administrators proposed cutting up to 350 course sections to address a $20 million budget deficit. That prompted the union to file a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. The board has yet to rule on the unfair labor practice complaint.

Union leaders announced plans to begin their strike on Monday after an unsuccessful bargaining session on Oct. 26. Leaders say nearly nine out of 10 voting members authorized a strike before voting closed on Oct. 25. About eight in 10 members took part.

In a statement last week, Columbia College officials said they “are disappointed that the union’s leadership has called a strike. We remain committed to good-faith bargaining with the union, and hope union leadership will remain at the table with concrete proposals.”

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