Some striking dining and grounds workers at Illinois State University said they are struggling to make ends meet amid their third week with no paychecks.
AFSCME Local 1110 workers have been on strike since April 8, demanding higher pay, raise guarantees and back pay increases for work done since June 2025, when the last contract expired.
Dustin Dawson lives alone and said he has been lucky to find an apartment at a lower price than he expected. Still, his job at the ISU warehouse pays about $16.52 per hour.
“For every person like me who found that one apartment, there's 10 people who can't even find a second job before they even try to find an apartment in town,” said Dawson. “It's just not realistic at this point, especially with all the rising costs that are facing us right now.”
Erika Stevenson is a building service worker at Watterson Towers who finds herself on strike after eight years on the job.
“We do more than just feeding students and cleaning toilets and potting a flower or two outside,” said Stevenson of the work AFSCME Local 1110 does. “We shovel snow, and in the summertime, we strip and wax every single dorm floor in the building—every single office—so it's hard work.”
Stevenson got a two-month car loan deferment from her bank. She said others have received deferments for their mortgages.
“So there's programs out there that are keeping us on the picket line, and we will be out there. We're a family. We're helping each other, and nothing's going to make us give up,” said Stevenson.
'You guys deserve more'
But that patience may begin to wear thin among the roughly 350 workers as the strike continues. The strike is already the longest in ISU history, and no future bargaining sessions are scheduled.
ISU Vice President of Finance and Planning Glen Nelson said the university is waiting on the federal mediator to advise on whether the parties should come back to the bargaining table.
“One of my biggest fears is that in this time of them not receiving a paycheck from ISU, they're going to go out and seek other jobs, other places, and then when this is all said and done, we're going to lose a good employee because of this,” said Cody Key, a building service worker who is on the negotiating team and a trustee with the union.
Some AFSCME members have returned to work. According to ISU spokesperson Chris Coplan, “dozens” were back on the job as of Monday.
According to Illinois State’s negotiations status page, the most recent offer would bring the new average hourly pay for an AFSCME worker about $22.25. Workers would then receive a 3% increase in base pay on July 1 each year until 2029.
Alexandra Salto has been a building service worker for half a decade. In that time, she said she has made connections with many of the thousands of students her work helps each day.
“Even if they want to talk sometimes, like, I'll stop and I'll talk to them about school or about how their day went,” said Salto. “Because they get home sick too.”
Those students have been checking up on her since the strike began.
“They're like, ‘Alexandra, we understand why you are out there. You have kids. You guys do so much for us. You guys deserve more.’”
Students can sometimes be the eyes and ears for workers while they remain on the picket line.
“We've heard students tell us that things aren't being cleaned the right way, or that trash is overflowing, or that food lines at Watterson or other places are limited, so it's not good,” said Stevenson.
ISU move-out day is planned for May 9. Key said that is usually a very important day for AFSCME workers, with trash pick-up and cleaning beginning while students are gone. Summer courses begin May 18, and Special Olympics will be hosted at ISU on June 12-14.
“They have special dietary needs, cleanliness is one of those. They have immune system problems,” said Key. “If it's not kept to a certain standard, I worry about those athletes.”
