As one labor union representative stared at Old Main, peering through the university’s front gate bearing a gold university emblem, he screamed “No Contract! No Peace!”

For three hours on Tuesday – Veteran’s Day – union workers represented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees paced in circles along Lincoln Avenue, chanted their contractual disapproval and cheered as drivers held thumbs up and honked their horns in support.

“Lou can’t hear you! What do we want?” asked Rick Prince, the staff representative with the federation, referring to interim President Lou Hencken. The remaining picketers responded by yelling “Contracts!”

Currently, the university and the federation are negotiating two contracts. The federation represents around 340 Eastern workers split into individual group Bob Wayland, director of employee and labor relations, described the timeliness of the picket as “puzzling” since the two sides are negotiating.

“They’re chanting that they want a contract now?” Wayland asked. “Well, we’re bargaining and it’s still in the process.”

The BSWs and food service employees are in the second year of a three-year contract ending in 2005. The clerical and technical workers are negotiating a new contract. Because those workers received no salary increase in Fiscal Year 2003, which ended June 30, 2003, and only a 2 percent increase for FY 2004, they are asking for a “fair contract.”

One federation union employee said some clerical salaries dwindle at $7 or $8 an hour.

“I think (the university) would be between a rock and a hard spot,” said Matt Pederson, the president of Eastern’s federation chapter, referring to if the Local 981 were to strike. “I think the university would almost shut down.”

Memo notes on a bulletin board in Old Main note, “This University Works – Because We Do.”

(breakout) The background (breakout)

At the same time the federation workers digested nonexistent salary increases, administrators and faculty were to follow suit. However, faculty received $310,191 in raises and administrators received $227,975 in FY 2003, while federation workers received nothing. Those raises came when there was supposedly “nothing on the table” serving as the main reason the federation is upset, Prince said.

This sentiment was displayed on one of the signs, which said “2 years without a raise makes unhappy workers.”

“Two percent of what is what we’re talking about,” Prince said. “If we have administrators making $120, $140,000, what’s that 2 percent? We’ve said amongst ourselves, ‘We’d take 2 percent of their money.'”

Salary figures calculated twice a year by the university disclose hourly wages for the BSWs and food service workers here were among the tops in the state. Of 11 state public universities, Eastern ranks third in BSW salaries while finishing first in cook and kitchen laborer salaries. The federation employees also receive state benefits, including health insurance formerly paid for by the state. Over the last three years, Eastern has paid $1.7 million.

When Pederson saw the wage survey from spring 2003, he advised one should not look only at the hourly rate as a gauge, but other figures like the number of employees and average salary. And yet, the numbers still represent Eastern’s status:

u In average BSW salary, Eastern remained third while employing only one fewer worker than Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, a school with an enrollment of more than 19,000, or almost 7,000 more than Eastern.

u For BSW subforemans, the average salary remained fourth of five schools with similar positions and actually employed 18 workers, eight more than Western Illinois University, the next closest employer.

u Cooks fell to second in average salary to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but kitchen laborers remained as No. 1.

Yet, a key indicator for the federation’s frustration could be the highest salary figure that Eastern many times fell behind its peers. For the BSWs, BSW sub foremen, cooks and kitchen laborers, their highest salary didn’t rank in the upper half of the schools represented.

And the clerical technical salaries, Pederson says, are among the lowest in the state.

“I think we’ve shown the university that we’re together,” Pederson said. “I thought the last few years have been amicable, but our members are tired of working two or three jobs. They can balance the budget, just not on our backs.”

Two years ago, Pederson said the university employed 54 BSWs. Now the number sits at 37.

The picketing was not meant to stir up controversy, but it was done to bring notice to their cause, Pederson says.

“We’re here for the students because a majority of our lives are to take care of them,” Pederson said of the BSWs who are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of the campus buildings.

(breakout) ‘Ass-kicking AFSCME’ (breakout)

At the beginning of the picket, Prince asked the 21 people there if they knew the AFSCME song.

“No!” was the response from numerous people.

It was a ballad, similar to one heard at a summer camp, the picketers repeated many times during the demonstration:

(ITALICS)Everywhere we go,

People wanna know,

Who we are,

So we tell them,

We are AFSCME,

The mighty, mighty AFSCME

We are AFSCME,

The ass-kicking AFSCME! (ITALICS)

The drizzly weather didn’t stop federation workers, who came on their morning or lunch breaks, from picketing from late morning until early afternoon. At times, picketers faced the cars whizzing by on Lincoln Avenue and held their signs high above their heads at the passersby.

Befuddled students walked by, sometimes smiling, as they watched groups of predominantly middle-aged people pace in circles on the sidewalk on Old Main’s front lawn.

Debbie Gerdes, a 30-year employee here, strutted with federation colleagues. An increased work load because of reductions in staff and the demand to master newer and better technology, she says, were reasons some clerical workers are upset.

“All of our bills keep piling up, but our work goes up here,” said Gerdes, a secretary for the counseling and student development department. “I’m not sure how you can expect these people to continue to give the dedication and productivity they’ve given and live off what they’re making.

“It’s a very ‘be seen and be quiet’ attitude.”

As the picketing ceased for a minute or two, one federation member left the marching circle, waved and addressed her peers.

“I gotta go to work,” she said.