Illinois State University’s unionized buildings, grounds and dining services workers are poised to go on strike Wednesday morning after failing to reach an agreement with ISU administrators on a new contract.
Another round of negotiations took place Tuesday at Hovey Hall, the main ISU administration building, but the two sides could not resolve their differences. ISU officials said the union rejected a revised university offer. Chuck Carver, president of AFSCME Local 1110, said a strike will begin at 6 a.m. Wednesday without an agreement.
“There isn't [any] connection. There isn't [any] meeting in the middle,” said Carver. “They pretty much stopped that when they gave us their last, best and final offer, stuck with it the second time, and then turned around and said today that ‘again, we're not giving you anything else.’”
Union members would have received pay raises in short succession from the university's most recent contract offer. Yet the offer did not include retroactive pay for labor completed after the previous contract ended this summer, nor any guarantees that union members would receive at least the same wage increases as other university employees when those occur.
AFSCME leaders have said they do not intend to sign any contracts without those provisions.
In a statement, ISU officials said they're "disappointed that AFSCME Local 1110 has notified us that they plan to engage in a strike despite the University's continued willingness to meet at the bargaining table.
"Our last, best, and final offer provides all employees in the bargaining unit five guaranteed increases to their base pay over the term of the contract, with the first two increases implemented within the next 12 weeks. All employees in the unit will be paid at or above the median base pay for similar positions in the local marketplace," the university said.
About 360 workers have been without a contract since June. Pay has been the largest sticking point, despite 30 bargaining sessions, the latest today with a mediator present.
The standoff between AFSCME and ISU is only the latest labor tension on campus in recent years, amid a flurry of organizing activity. A year ago ISU and its new faculty union reached a last-minute deal to avoid a strike.
ISU's contingency plans
ISU spokesperson Chris Coplan said the administration hoped a deal would be reached by the union’s deadline, but they’ve developed contingency plans in campus dining, buildings and grounds if a strike does happen.
"The priority is operations will continue in our dining centers and that students will be fed, and so that may mean that some retail shifts and those kinds of things may slightly change depending on availability and need. But we're working through those and making sure we have as much help as possible," he said.
ISU is sharing campus operations updates on this webpage.
“Obviously there would be some gaps to fill if a strike were to happen, and as a university, we’re here to serve our students,” Coplan said. “That’s what our focus is on and making sure those essential services for our students continue.”
Coplan said in addition to dining, they’ve planned for ensuring buildings are clean and grounds remain cared for. They do not anticipate disruption to other areas of operation. Most union contracts on campus have language restricting work stoppages if workers from another union go on strike.
“We’re communicating with each of our other bargaining units to make sure that there’s an understanding of what that language actually speaks to,” Coplan said.
That includes unionized faculty members, who cannot cancel classes, office hours, meetings or other work requirements in a show of solidarity with another union.
Faculty union president Ashley Farmer said they also cannot be asked to do work that would normally be assigned to AFSCME members.
“We will continue to support AFSCME in all of the ways we are legally able to — including supporting them at rallies and on the picket when we are not working,” she said in an email Tuesday morning.
Farmer spoke Tuesday at a campus rally in support of the AFSCME members.
“It is laughable that they think that they can keep this place running without you,” said Farmer. “I know that the prospect of going on strike is scary, the uncertainty is scary, but you are stronger together, and you are stronger than this administration.”
Campus rally
Other speakers at the rally listed demands and joined in chants. Also there in support were state Sen. Dave Koehler and state Rep. Sharon Chung, both Democrats representing Bloomington-Normal in Springfield. While most proceedings took place at the intersection of College, Mulberry and School streets, demonstrators also marched directly outside of Hovey Hall to continue with chants directed at ISU administration.
“I absolutely support this university, but I support them in a way that I want them to be fair with all the workers. These are the workers that are the lowest paid in the university. They're the ones that really make things run,” said Koehler. “These are essential folks, and they need to have a fair contract.”
Others who spoke came from the McLean County Democrats, the Illinois AFL-CIO, AFSCME and United Faculty of ISU [UFISU].
WGLT is based at Illinois State University, although none of WGLT’s employees are part of the AFSCME Local 1110 bargaining unit. We cover ISU just like any other major local institution.
