Eastern’s chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois have continuously met and negotiated with Eastern’s negotiation team for the EIU-UPI’s new contract since March 21. Today, the old contract ends while negotiations are still ongoing with 11 proposals tentatively agreed to and 21 proposals still being negotiated.

There are 13 proposals from EIU-UPI and eight from the negotiation team continuing to be negotiated for the new contract.

EIU-UPI is the union representing Eastern faculty which are tenured or tenure-track, referred to as Unit A, and annually contracted faculty and academic support professionals, referred to as Unit B.

Currently, the Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA, is the contract between the EIU-UPI and Eastern, which governs the rights and compensation of work conditions for all Eastern employees with a job position within Unit A and B.

The CBA is renegotiated by EIU-UPI and Eastern’s negotiation team every four years. Although negotiations for the new contract are still ongoing, the old contract expires today. The plan is for the old contract’s conditions and agreements to continue until the new contract is finalized.

The EIU-UPI proposed an across the board raise for nine percent the first year and an added six percent each year for the next three years of the new contract. The reasoning behind these percentages are to make up for several years of small or no across the board raises.

Eastern counter offered for a 1.25% increase the first year and then a potential raise ranging from zero to 1.75% raise depending on each professor’s full-time first time student retention rate and the state allocation.

The following graph shows the variety of increase options based on the full-time first time student retention rate and the state allocation for that year. 

EIU-UPI rejected Eastern’s counter offer.

A proposal following Eastern rejecting the original proposal was for the ASPs work conditions. Within the proposal there were 11 demands from EIU-UPI and one from Eastern. 

EIU-UPI accepted Eastern’s demand while Eastern has accepted two of the EIU-UPI’s demands with seven rejections and two partial rejections.

Eastern accepted the conditions for documentation changes to job descriptions and work places along with travel time to and from the work site is considered work time.

EIU-UPI accepted a December window of reviewing the work plan for Eastern.

The seven rejected conditions from EIU-UPI by Eastern were: 

• Five to ten flex work days 
• Reimbursement for office expenses if assigned to work from home 
• All workloads for advisors are only 90 percent full time equivalent on advising
• Variety of items on a equal time off procedure
• An alternate work plan for ASPs who do not work typical nine to five hours
• Notification for relocating the work site, with relocation costs, if ASPs move residences for more than 30 miles away
• The option for if something occurs on the way home to be able to go home and work remotely if it would take more time to drive back to campus then continue the drive home

The two counters from Eastern for an EIU-UPI proposal were for removing “collaborative” from the proposal for collaborative determination of job descriptions and annual work plans.

The other proposal Eastern wanted the term “may” to replace “must” in the proposal work plans must include professional developments.

For both, EIU-UPI plans to withhold the original wording.

The following proposals were made by EIU-UPI, countered by Eastern’s negotiation team and EIU-UPI rejected that counter offer.

A merit increase from $71 to $111 for the first year of four with the new contract with an additional increase of $7 each year of the contract. Eastern countered for an increase to $75 which remains the same throughout the contract; EIU-UPI rejected this counter proposal.

The EIU-UPI made a proposal regarding Performance Based Increases, PBI. The current contract has faculty waiting until their fifth year to apply and then get a PBI of $186 every four years.

EIU-UPI proposed a gradual increase over the next four years of the new contract from $286 to $341. 

Eastern counter offered the first PBI to be after eight years of work, with $300 per month. After that, longevity added for every four years of $186; EIU-UPI rejected.

EIU-UPI proposed for Achievement and Contribution Awards, ACA, to increase from $110 to $193 and additionally increase by $12 for the second and third year with a $13 increase for the fourth year. Eastern countered for $115 per month for nine months for all four years of the new contract; EIU-UPI rejected this offer.

Overload pay increases from $1,215 to $2,083 the first year with $2,208 the second, $2,341 the third year and $2481 for the fourth. Eastern counter offered an increase for each year starting and ending with $1,230, $1,243, $1,255 and $1,268; EIU-UPI rejected this offer.

A proposal about the ACFs non-instructional work which Eastern countered that it could be assigned as formal work and EIU-UPI rejected.

EIU-UPI proposed for parental leave to increase from 30 days to 6 to 8 weeks, which Eastern countered to 60 days and was rejected by EIU-UPI.

A proposal to adjust the minima tables was countered by Eastern and rejected by EIU-UPI.

A proposal was made about changing the minimum class size requirement, which Eastern rejected, and EIU-UPI countered with having a tenth day roster count instead of doing it on the fifth day.

A proposal was made for pre-tenured faculty in Unit A to get overload pay starting at 21 credit units. Credit units are a required amount of credits for anyone who teaches at Eastern which can be fulfilled by teaching courses, advising students and other ways. Eastern countered this offer with assigning three extra research credit units to the pre-tenured Unit A faculty, which EIU-UPI countered.

A proposal regarding the ratio of Unit A faculty was rejected by Eastern with EIU-UPI withholding their original proposal.

Of the proposals still in the negotiation process from administration, EIU-UPI has rejected five proposals, responded to a proposal with a new proposal from EIU-UPI and plans to respond at a later date to two administration proposals.

Madelyn Kidd can be reached at 581-2812 or at dennewsdesk@gmail.com.