ECC board proposes 3-year freeze for faculty
Elgin Community College faculty have moved closer to going on strike — although a meeting with the ECC board this week provided a glimmer of hope.
The faculty senate this month voted to authorize a strike if it comes to that. The entire faculty authorized a strike in January.
Before instructors can walk out, the sides have to attempt mediation and the faculty union must file a 10-day intent-to-strike notice. Neither has taken place.
The faculty union claims the ECC board has not shown a sense of urgency to hammer out a new contract. Instructors have been working under an expired labor agreement since Jan. 1.
“If there’s any movement, it’s at a snail’s pace,” said Gary Christenson, spokesman for the faculty union. “I don’t think we’re seeing that kind of enthusiasm and cooperation yet.”
The board team, though, has said it will not agree to terms the college cannot afford just for the sake of finishing quickly or avoiding labor unrest.
“The problem is we have to do (due) diligence, and it takes time,” said Eleanor MacKinney, ECC board chair. “We can’t afford to settle for a contract now that we can’t sustain in years to come.”
The board has proposed a three-year salary freeze for full-time and part-time faculty, with no increases for extra years of teaching experience or credit hours earned, according to both sides.
The faculty union says that proposal is without justification. The union points to the fact that ECC has not had to make the cuts that many other government bodies are facing. It also cites raises ECC President David Sam has received since 2009 — amounting to almost $20,000.
“I think they feel emboldened to do that because there are institutions that are hurting … but we aren’t one of them,” Christenson said.
MacKinney said the freeze “would allow us to maintain a balanced budget. The board has always been fiscally responsible.”
As for the comparison to Sam, MacKinney says it’s not fair.
“Dr. Sam came to the college very underpaid,” she said. “The board is trying to raise his salary up so he is average among (community college) presidents in Illinois. The faculty pay is the third highest among faculty in Illinois.”
The lack of progress at the bargaining table is already having an impact on the Elgin campus. Many instructors have gone into “work to rule” mode, meaning they fulfill their job description, teaching and holding office hours, but do not do extra tasks for which they may or may not be compensated.
“It’s a tactic, when you’re not being listened to, to get somebody’s attention,” Christenson said. “It’s having a profound effect.”
The sides last met on Wednesday. While no significant progress was made, the faculty union says the board was more serious about getting a deal done.
“Our team seemed to notice a new demeanor from the other side,” Christenson said. “We sense a real interest in bargaining at this point.”
The sides are scheduled to meet again on Saturday.
For updates on negotiations, visit elgin.edu, sign up for text message alerts at emergency.elgin.edu or visit ECC’s Facebook page, facebook.com/elgincommunitycollege.