UIUC Updates

You Won!

After standing together in the rain and lightning for the longest civil service strike at UIUC in over 30 years, SEIU members finally jumped ahead of inflation for the first time in that same period! The new contracts include the most money in any BSW or Food Service contract at UIUC – ever! These contract were part of one two-part campaign that lasted three years and won $5.25 per hour in basic raises, plus bonuses, and corrected several longstanding disparities. Dining Service employees now get to top pay in two years instead of four, just like BSWs (a $5 jump at once, in addition to the annual raises). Dining Service employees also no longer face a universal summer layoff! BSWs now only have to give the legally required 10 days’ notice before striking, like Food Service has always had. And more!

Both UIUC contracts are now available online. [click here] to find your contract (under Higher Education).

September 30  Strike ends with a third Tentative Agreement for members to vote on. Your elected Bargaining Committee decided to skip retro pay in favor of a $500 bonus for a 2 very specific reasons:

1. The bonus is more than retro pay would have been; and
2. Retro pay would only be for hours worked, not including the 8 days of the strike! (Scabs who went to work during the strike would have earned *more* than strikers who fought for and won the new contract! Unacceptable!)

The Committee also decided to return to work while voting is ongoing so that members could start earning money again ASAP. We could always have gone back out if the vote had been no.

October 3  Members approved the new contracts.

October 8  Union and Employer proofreading and final formatting completed faster than usual. Union signatures collected immediately and turned over to UI for signatures.

October 18  Contracts returned to Union with UI signatures. Raises and other monetary changes to take effect at the beginning of the first pay period following this date.

October 27  New raises effective as well as the new Dining two-step longevity replacing the longstanding three steps to get to top pay.

Fall Labor Management Meetings Report Back

• F&S Management has not been tracking overtime correctly or posting overtime usage consistently. Employees who reported disparities are getting makeup overtime. As of the Labor-Management meeting Dec 4, Management has instituted a new system of centralized tracking to ensure that all clock stations are tracking overtime correctly and consistently. If your clock station is not posting overtime usage regularly or if you believe you have been skipped for overtime when it was your turn, contact a steward immediately so we can get this corrected. This is your Union! Working together we can make things better!

• Dining Management has been incorrectly offering residual overtime opportunities. Per our agreement with them, any overtime offered in the contractual order (starting with the employee who has been offered the least hours) should go on the board for first-come first-served callers. However, the agreement was that the employee would have to work the entire shift. DCSO was not following this consistently, which led to some conflicts, and the Union has at least one outstanding grievance in an individual case. At the Labor-Management meeting Dec 17, Union and Management agreed to change this rule so that an employee could accept a partial shift once the opportunity has gone up on the board, first-come first-served. This procedure along with this new rule should be posted on or near the residual overtime opportunities board, also by agreement. If an accurate explanation is not posted at your worksite or if you believe the procedure was not followed properly in your case, contact a steward immediately so we can get this corrected. This is your Union! Working together we can make things better!

• The Union is also following up on reports from Dining members that they are not always getting their required meal provided by Management by contract and that employees often miss breaks. This is unacceptable. If you have experienced either of these problems, contact a steward immediately! This is your Union! Working together we can make things better!

If you are experiencing any workplace issues not mentioned above, please reach out to your steward or union representative to review possible options for resolution. As a union member, you have resources available to fight for a fair workplace.