COD bargaining teams meet with negotiator
Bargaining teams for the College of DuPage administration and faculty association met with a federal mediator Friday in an effort to move along contract talks that have stalled after 13 months.
Both sides agreed to sit down for the third-party mediation to discuss unresolved issues related to summer pay and longer work hours for some instructors.
Faculty Association President Glenn Hansen said the mediator met with negotiators for the college and union Friday afternoon at the college, before conducting separate meetings with each side. Neither Hansen nor COD President Robert Breuder are involved in negotiation sessions.
College administrators have proposed reducing compensation for teaching summer courses to “a more reasonable level,” while still keeping it at “a premium” above what part-time adjuncts are paid.
They're also trying to increase the amount of instruction time for faculty who teach lab or studio classes, such as art, photography, automotive and chemistry.
Breuder has argued that the current faculty contract, which expired in August, is outdated and doesn't take into account current economic conditions.
Hansen says the negotiated agreement is “fair market” and believes the faculty haven't gotten a special advantage over the college's three other union groups.
And while the faculty has accepted some of the college's concessions, neither side has budged on the key sticking points related to summer pay and longer hours.
Breuder has said he wants a deal in place by May, before commencement.
Hansen said Friday he doesn't have a timeline.
“I want a fair contract and to say it will be done when they really haven't moved on their offers since November makes me think (Breuder's) got something up his sleeve,” Hansen said. “My (bargaining) team tells me the (administration's) answers to everything has been, ‘No, no, no and no.'”
Both sides are expected to meet with the mediator again later this month, Hansen said.