UIC Civil Service Workers Reach Tentative Agreement

On Thursday, May 9, UIC Civil Service workers reached a tentative agreement with the university.

SEIU Local 73 represents nearly 4,000 Civil Service workers at the UIC and have been in contract negotiations for 11 months. The agreements with the administration are for multi-year contracts for four bargaining units represented by the union at the Chicago, Rockford, and Peoria campuses: service, technical, clerical, and professionals.

The tentative agreement includes:

• Across-the-board pay raises and retroactive pay
• Significant increases to the minimum pay rate for every title in every contract
• Transformative and equitable new pay scales for workers in the service, technical, and clerical bargaining unit
• Longevity pay for workers in the professional bargaining unit and clerical workers at DSCC
• Expanded bilingual pay across campus

The agreement will now go before the membership for a ratification vote.

“For nearly a year, UIC workers fought at the bargaining table for the wages and respect they deserve. Today, they emerge victorious with a contract that will begin to reverse UIC’s campus disinvestments. The UI System has taken a step closer to fully funding the needs of students, patients, and workers. These courageous UIC workers prove that when we fight, we win,” said SEIU Local 73 President Dian Palmer.

“The bargaining committee couldn’t have reached this tentative agreement without the full support of our members. Over the past year, Civil Service workers utilized our collective power and refused to back down until we won the respect we deserved. With this agreement, we are moving forward more united and powerful than ever before,” said LaVitta “Vee” Steward, UIC Administrative Aide and SEIU Local 73 Vice President.