Tax freeze could erase raises for Elk Grove library workers
Elk Grove Village Public Library employees will get salary increases of at least 2 percent over the course of their new four-year contract, though the raises could be in jeopardy if the state enacts a property tax freeze.
The collective bargaining contract, approved unanimously by the library board this week and ratified earlier by unionized employees, allows library officials to reopen salary negotiations if state lawmakers freeze property taxes, which would impact the library's ability to boost pay.
The raises wouldn't be given in years for which there is a property tax freeze, so long as the library provides the union representing employees 60-day notice, according to the contract.
The deal calls for raises of 2.25 percent retroactive to May 2015, 2 percent in May 2016, 2 percent in May 2017, and 2.25 percent in May 2018.
The agreement lists salary schedules with varying steps, reflecting different rates of pay based on years of experience. For example, an entry-level part-time page makes $9.29 an hour, while a librarian with at least 20 years of service makes $35.75 an hour.
The new contract includes four new steps for pages, representing pay grades for those with six to more than 10 years of service.
Elk Grove is one of the few libraries in Illinois - and likely one of the smallest - whose employees are represented by a union. It's been that way since 1996.
Representatives of the library board and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees labor union have been negotiating a new contract since last spring.
The union represents about 60 to 70 employees, from circulation clerks to maintenance workers. The contract runs through April 2019.