Update for Clerical and Administrative Employees at UIC
Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, our clerical/administrative
bargaining committee met with management for the 2nd time in a week. We
presented a settlement proposal that covered wages as well as contract
language. In recognition of the fact that this bargaining has taken so
long, we were accommodating. We even dropped a number of proposals.
Management
left the table and returned after less than 15 minutes to tell us how
“frustrated” they were that we had not accepted their offer from the
week before.
What was in their settlement offer?
- No raise at all for the 2006 – 2007 year.
- For the 2007 – 2008 year, no retroactive pay to the August 28th start date of the contract year.
- Reduction of steps from 4% to 2% for the first 6 years in a pay grade.
Not in their settlement offer was any mention of job security to
protect us from our jobs going to Academic Professionals. Nor equity
for Rockford and Peoria. Nor any consideration of the issues for our
Police Telecommunicators.
Our committee was unanimous in
rejecting this. It is an outrage that they would offer us nothing for
the past contract year and no retro pay to the start of this contract
year. We are not to blame for negotiations dragging on. It was
management that cancelled 17 meetings between February and September.
It was management that came to a dozen meetings out of 16 held
unprepared to bargain.
The last thing that happened in negotiations is we agreed to formally request a federal mediator.
Since then, we have just learned that the clerical/administrative group in UIUC just settled.
In their contract, they received:
- A 2.5% raise for the 1st year of a 4 year agreement, and each subsequent year the general raise provided by the university
- An additional .5% for those on the top step for the first year
- A $300 lump sum signing bonus
- An additional step added to the top for the 2nd year
- An additional .5% raise for those on the top step in the 3rd and 4th years of the contract
- And a reduction of parking rates by as much as 60% of current costs.
Workers at UIC are once again being treated as second class
citizens. Therefore, we are calling for lunch hour meetings of the
membership. We will report in depth on the offer we made, the offer
from management, and what measures we have to take now. The meetings
will be:
Peoria – Friday, Nov. 30, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm, Main
Campus, A100-2; and 12:45 – 1:45 pm, Allied Building, Large Conference
Room, Garden Level
Rockford – Regular Monthly Meeting, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 5:00 pm, Family Health Center, Conference Room, 1221 E. State Street
UIC – East Campus, Thursday, Dec. 6, Jane Addams Hull House, 800 S. Halsted Street, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
UIC – West Campus, Tuesday, Dec. 11, Student Center West, 828 S. Wolcott, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm. Room To Be Announced.
Joe Iosbaker
Chief Steward
Local 73