Schaumburg support-staff union to protest lack of contract

Members of the village of Schaumburg's clerical and support-staff union say they plan to attend Tuesday's village board meeting to voice their frustration at being without a contract for more than a year.

"Our membership feels this process has dragged on too long and that the village has not taken the process seriously," said Matthew Lange, staff representative for American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Local 1919.

"This village has been rated very highly as one of the best places to live in the country," he added. "Our members are a huge reason for why that is."

Schaumburg Village Manager Brian Townsend acknowledged that negotiations haven't been smooth, but said he considers the process still on track. There have been 21 meetings between the village and the union, but scheduling issues have delayed a second meeting with a federal mediator until Aug. 10, he said.

"We remain committed to attempting to reach an agreement," Townsend added.

Local 1919 has about 150 members whose jobs lie in most if not all of the village's departments, including the community service and auxiliary officers within the police department, Lange said.

He added that the members feel they are being treated unfairly compared to the village's other unions both because they are Schaumburg's newest bargaining unit and because the membership is predominantly female.

Townsend categorically denied that those have been factors in the negotiation process.

Local 1919's first contract expired May 31, 2017, and members haven't been offered any retroactive pay increase, Lange said.

The village board meeting is at 7 p.m. June 26 at village hall, 101 Schaumburg Court.