The Board of Trustees voted to approve the contract for the Eastern chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois at a special meeting Wednesday morning pending ratification by the UPI members by noon Friday.

The board made the decision based on a preliminary vote by members of UPI collected at 4 p.m. Tuesday. The preliminary voting numbers will not be released until member voting officially concludes Friday.

“Dr. Delman (UPI president) has requested that we not release the preliminary vote at this time because people are still voting until noon Friday and I’m honoring his request,” said President Lou Hencken.

He did say however, that he’s not anticipating any problems with the membership ratification, and Delman agreed.

“We’re happy that it’s ratified by the board and we’re happy to be moving on to the work of the university,” Delman said.

UPI is in the process of posting the contract revisions on the union Web site, Delman said. He said he hoped to have the site updated by yesterday afternoon.

The special meeting and preliminary vote were implemented in an effort to get the contract salary increases in the November paychecks for union members. The December paychecks are not distributed until the first working day in January.

Board Chairman Leo Welch said the special meeting was called “in a good faith effort by the board and the university administration to ensure UPI membership receives their raises in the November paycheck, the last paycheck in 2006, which will minimize any 2007 tax consequences.”

The four-year contract includes a 3.25 percent across the board salary increase in the first year, as well as 2.5 percent market equity. A portion of the first year market equity will be distributed ATB and a portion will be relative to departments.

The second and third years include a 3 percent ATB salary increase and 1.15 percent ATB market equity. The fourth year includes a 3.5 percent ATB salary increase with no market equity.

The contract also includes money set aside for promotions and merit increases.

“I do believe there is money in the budget to handle these increases,” Hencken said.

The contract decision was based on the prediction that Eastern would receive a modest increase from the state with no callbacks and on predicted enrollment numbers, he said.

The contract’s cumulative effect on Eastern’s budget is as follows: year one, $2.6 million; year two, $2.2 million; year three, $2.3 million; and year four, $2.2 million.

A good contract is also important to help recruit and retain good faculty.

“It’s important for us to have the best faculty we possibly can,” Hencken said.

Assuming the contract is ratified by the UPI membership by Friday afternoon, the payroll office will be under the gun to get the salary increases in member paycheck for November.

“I want to particularly thank the people in the payroll office who ensure that this increase will be reflected in the November paychecks,” Hencken said.