Representatives of Eastern’s faculty union and the university’s administration have agreed that a federal mediator is needed to continue making progress toward a contract.

Jonathan Blitz, UPI/EIU chapter vice president and chief negotiator and professor of chemistry, said both sides agreed that it is time to bring in a federal mediator after only minimal progress was made at the last negotiating session on Oct. 5.

Robert Wayland, chief negotiator for the university administration said, “the administration agreed to proceed with a mediator to try to make progress through bargaining.”

Members of the UPI hoped not to come to this measure, Blitz said.

“I’m disappointed I thought we could do this on our own,” Blitz said. “I thought it would be different.”

Currently, the administration and UPI are waiting for further details from the federal mediator to proceed.

The previous Eastern chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois contract expired Aug. 31. Blitz said that both the UPI and the administration signed an agreement that the current contract would hold until a new contract was agreed upon.

A strike is not being considered at this current time, Blitz said.

Wayland said although the administration is hopeful to come to an agreement, this may not necessarily be a reality.

“While the university is bargaining in good faith, the labor laws do not require either party to agree or accept proposals that are not in its best interest,” Wayland said.

Negotiations began in early June with the administration and the UPI meeting at least ten times since then.

The university’s faculty is divided into two groups: Unit A, which includes tenured and tenure-track faculty, and Unit B, which includes annually contracted faculty and academic support professionals. So, contract negotiations actually involve bargaining for both the Unit A and Unit B contracts, which are separate documents.

A strike is not being considered at this time, Blitz said that one may be considered if the administration does not come eye-to-eye on furlough concerns.

Although the board of trustees approved an internal governing policy earlier this year to allow furloughs, no furloughs can be implemented until language covering them is included in the contracts that govern relations with various employee unions on campus. That policy allows up to 24 furlough days in any 12-month period.

If a financial condition, including revenue shortfalls, reductions in state appropriations, or other financial emergencies occurs, the university may implement furloughs as a temporary cost-saving measure, according to the university’s Internal Governing Policy 189.

A furlough is an unpaid leave of absence during which time employees shall not perform any of their job duties.

In this time, salary reductions will be made according to the normal daily rate of pay for the employee’s primary position as calculated by the vice president for business affairs, according to IGP 189.

“The administration has provided the 24-day furlough policy, and it’s just that – the ability of the administration to cut 24-days of pay,” Blitz said. “It’s not spelled out how this will work.

The administration basically has carte blanche authority over furloughs.”

Wayland said that despite the current budgetary problems, the administration is offering what it considers a “generous economic package” to UPI members to offset furloughs.

Blitz does not agree.

“1.5 percent across the board increase is not generous considering a 24-day furlough means a 9 to 11 percent pay cut,” Blitz said. “It’s a generous pay cut, that’s the way we see it.”

Wayland said that administration believes that a furlough policy is a much better alternative to other potential actions, such as layoff, if the budgetary situation becomes dire.

While on furlough, the faculty is not permitted to work, which would interfere with the need to do required research and class preparation, said John Allison, UPI/EIU chapter president.

“If people are placed on lengthy furloughs and still expected to do the same work, it seems unfeasible to (the UPI),” he said.

Blitz said another UPI concern is that the administration is avoiding what the union considers to be mandatory subjects of bargaining, in particular, credit units.

The 2006-2010 UPI/EIU Unit A states that the employment obligation of a tenured/tenure-track employee is composed of both assigned and unassigned duties and activities. An assigned duty or activity of an employee will be reflected on an assignment of duties form and will receive a credit unit value.

Previously, credit units have been considered separately from the contract, although they are referred to in the contract, Wayland said.

Blitz said the UPI finally wants the credit units to be included because they feel the credit units are a mandatory subject of bargaining.

“They affect our work load and compensation and it’s past time that those guidelines should be in the contract,” Blitz said.

But Wayland said the administration sees no reason to include the credit units in the collective bargaining agreement.

“It is quite lengthy, and there have been no specific problems in maintaining it as a separate part of the collective bargaining agreement,” Wayland said.

A separate document specifies how credit units are assigned. That document is governed by the collective bargaining agreement and thus can only be changed or modified following negotiation between the administration and the faculty, he added.

The agreement states that the assigned obligation of teaching faculty is 18 to 24 credit units for the academic year. Most faculty are employed under nine-month contracts that coincide with the academic calendar.

For each additional month of appointment beyond nine months, the assigned obligation of teaching faculty is three credit units outside the academic year, according to the agreement.

Shelley Holmgren can be reached at 581-7942 or meholmgren@eiu.edu.