ECC faculty files intent to strike notice
Things seemed to be improving in talks between the Elgin Community College board and ECC's faculty union.
But at 12:07 a.m. Thursday, after the latest session with a federal mediator ended, the union announced it planned to file a 10-day intent-to-strike notice Thursday.
The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board confirmed Thursday the notice had been filed.
Filing the notice is required by law before ECC employees can walk out. It doesn't mean a strike will necessarily occur, and it is sometimes used as a bargaining tactic. Employees cannot walk out before the 10-day window expires.
“These are done all over the state; they rarely go out,” said Helen Higgins, general counsel for the labor board. “You know what happens in most cases? They work it out.”
The union has expressed frustration with the progress that has been made so far. Full-time and part-time instructors have now been working for more than three months under an expired contract.
“We were disappointed in the lack of real progress yesterday,” union spokesman Gary Christenson said Thursday. “It doesn't mean there will be a strike. I still want to be able to hope for resolution.”
Indeed, filing a 10-day strike notice is not unusual for the ECC faculty union. But a strike is. Instructors have walked out only once in the college's history — in 2001, Christenson said.
Still, the union's announcement comes as a surprise because it came barely three days after the union said it was postponing filing the notice because of progress made during mediation sessions.
“I think we were making progress,” ECC board President Ellie MacKinney said. “Much of the progress was on non-money items. When it came to money items, the union and the board were not close.”
She added: “I am very disappointed in the union's choice because it hurts students.”
The board has offered a freeze on base salary. But some instructors would still be able to get raises for experience (2 percent for those who qualify) and academic credits.
Christenson, though, said the board is also asking instructors to cover more of their health insurance costs.
“For people who would not benefit from step (pay for experience) and lane (pay for academic credits), it means they want them to take a pay cut,” Christenson said. “We expect better than a pay cut. We expect better than a freeze.”
Christenson would not reveal exactly what the union is seeking but said: “We're asking for fairly modest recognition and increases.”
The sides are scheduled to meet with a federal mediator again on April 13.