ECC reaches deal with teachers union

Elgin Community College has reached a tentative agreement with its faculty union, just days before the faculty was set to strike.

The three-year deal was reached at 5 a.m. Thursday — more than 12 hours after the latest bargaining session began.

Few details were immediately available, and both sides said little information would be released until the faculty has a chance to vote on the deal, which could take another two weeks.

“I think everyone on both sides is pleased an agreement was reached,” said Gary Christenson, spokesman for the union, in an e-mail.

Board Vice Chairman Robert McBride said the sides were able to reach a resolution because of the federal mediation process.

“There was a lot of concern and uneasiness for students,” McBride said. “They’re the beneficiaries of this.”

The sides had reached an impasse over the ECC board’s proposal that the faculty take some kind of salary freeze. The union protested because ECC President David Sam has gotten raises amounting to roughly $20,000 since 2009. McBride would not say whether a freeze was part of the final compromise.

Full-time and part-time instructors have been working on an expired contract since the beginning of the year. The sides have been in federal mediation for several weeks.

The union filed a 10-day intent-to-strike notice last week and could have gone on strike as early as April 18. Wednesday’s session with a federal mediator was seen as a last-ditch effort to get a deal done.

ECC has more than 500 faculty members; about 150 of them are full-timers. The last time they went on strike was 2001.

The faculty and the ECC board must vote on the agreement before it goes into effect. Votes have not yet been scheduled.