The union representing civil service employees at NEIU said it now sees “some movement” in its contract negotiations with the university administration. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1987 represents approximately 165 state civil service employees at NEIU, including office assistants, IT specialists, groundskeepers and a variety of other employees.
AFSCME has been in negotiations over a new union contract with NEIU since June 2024. Their initial demands included higher wages, a new pay grade structure, regular meetings with the university president and cold weather gear for groundskeepers.
For over a month now, AFSCME members and allies from the NEIU faculty union, University Professionals of Illinois (UPI), have marched to negotiating sessions, wearing green and carrying signs, chanting, “Fair contract now!” Negotiations have been taking place in NEIU’s Human Resources offices in Building B, one block east of Main Campus on the corner of Bryn Mawr Avenue and Bernard Street.
The Independent spoke to Mary Serio, the president of AFSCME Local 1987, and Rebekah Fitchett, one of the union’s stewards. At this time, they have said there are currently no tentative agreements between AFSCME and NEIU. Serio has credited the movement they have seen from NEIU on the pressure and involvement from AFSCME members and the support of their sister unions, like UPI.
NEIU’s negotiating team is led by Abby Murray, the Associate Vice President of Human Resources. In a statement from NEIU, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications Chris Childers said, “While Northeastern Illinois University does not comment on contract negotiations, the University administration is committed to a productive and collaborative bargaining process. We appreciate the AFSCME Local 1989’s dedication and contribution to the University’s mission.”
The Independent reached out to NEIU for further comment and verification on the details in this article, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Wage Negotiations
According to AFSCME, NEIU has offered AFSCME members an across-the-board 2.75% raise in the first year of the contract and a 2.5% raise each year after. In an email seen by the Independent sent to faculty and staff, dated June 26 of last year, NEIU had said it approved a 3% raise for non-union civil service employees beginning on July 1, 2024. One AFSCME member, who did not provide her name, told the Independent she wondered why the university valued non-union employees more than union ones.
During public comment at the Feb. 13 NEIU Board of Trustees meeting, AFSCME union steward Rebekah Fitchett called the administration’s initial offer a “slap in the face.”
At the same meeting, Heather Carper, who has worked at NEIU for seven years and is now in the Financial Aid department, said that she cannot afford to pay her bills. “Even with my promotion a couple of years ago, I still don’t make enough to live off of because the cost of living has gone up,” she said at public comment. “Open your ears and listen to these canaries in the coal mine telling you there is a problem here, and we’re asking you to fix it,” she said to the Board.
Rachel Birkner, who received her master’s degree from NEIU, told the Independent that she has to work seasonal retail every year to make ends meet, in addition to her job in enrollment at NEIU. She is not alone. Other AFSCME members have said they have had to rely on part time jobs or gig work to supplement their wages. One AFSCME member said they just want “the dignity of a living wage.”
“As an institution that touts itself as serving minorities and marginalized communities, you’d think they’d be committed to wage equity,” Fitchett said.
Based on wage data collected from thirteen higher education institutions throughout Illinois, AFSCME calculated that NEIU’s civil service employees are being paid an average of $4.07 per hour less than other civil service employees across the state, Fitchett said at the Board of Trustees meeting in February. According to Fitchett, the amount is adjusted for cost of living. AFSCME had to request the wage data from universities directly, as some universities’ self-reported wage data on the Illinois State Universities Civil Service System (SUCCS) website is out of date. Some universities even report wages below Illinois’ current minimum wage of $15.00 per hour. AFSCME provided the data to NEIU’s negotiating team in September of last year, and presented it to the NEIU Board of Trustees in February.
According to Serio and Fitchett, NEIU’s negotiating team only wants to include Chicago State University, Governors State University and University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) in the comparison, which they call “peer institutions.” Compared to those three universities, NEIU civil service employees are still paid an average of $1.58 less per hour adjusted for cost of living. Serio told the Independent she has seen many employees leave NEIU for higher paying jobs at UIC and Northwestern University.
“We got you through the pandemic on our own equipment, with our own time and not knowing what was going to be around the other end of it. But we’re still here, and we’re still invested in this university,” Carper said at the Board of Trustees meeting. “We are staying because we believe in NEIU, we believe in the students, and we want you to make the same investments that we have.”
“Some Movement” on Pay Grade
According to Fitchett, AFSCME and NEIU’s negotiating team are now “on the same page” regarding a new pay grade structure for NEIU’s civil service employees based on minimum experience requirements to fill each position. Under the proposed structure, positions requiring the same minimum months of experience, as determined by SUCCS, would have the same starting wages. What those specific wages are, however, is still being negotiated.
“We are still far, far away from equitable pay,” Fitchett told the Independent. “We’re finally having the conversations we should have had five months ago.”
Meetings with the President
One of AFSCME’s first demands in negotiations was for monthly meetings between the AFSCME chapter president and president of NEIU. According to Serio, that demand was rejected as “unprecedented” even though the UPI, which represents NEIU’s faculty, has a similar provision in their current contract. Article 2 of UPI’s contrast says, in part, “Meetings between the University President and the Chapter President shall be held once each month or as the parties agree for the purpose of discussing matters pertinent to the administration of this Agreement or any other mutually agreeable matters.”
According to AFSCME, NEIU has offered a one hour meeting once per quarter as of the latest round of negotiations.
Cold Weather Gear
AFSCME represents six groundskeepers at NEIU. During the winter, those groundskeepers are responsible for shoveling snow and clearing parking lots at the Main Campus and El Centro. They often have to get to work early in the morning before the sun rises and work in below freezing temperatures.
On behalf of the groundskeepers AFSCME asked that NEIU provide them with a $300 stipend each year for quality boots and a winter coat, totaling $1,800. According to Serio, NEIU would only offer bib-overalls. In the latest round of negotiations, NEIU has offered a $175 stipend for the duration of the contract, Serio said.
AFSCME and NEIU have been in negotiations for nine months at this point. In that time, NEIU’s non-negotiated civil service workers received a 3% raise across the board. AFSCME employees will receive their raises, whatever they are, backdated to July 1, 2024. However, they are still being paid the same amount that they have been.
“Everyone wants to know, ‘When am I going to get my raise?’” Serio told the Independent. The last time AFSCME negotiated a contract with NEIU was in 2018 when negotiations lasted for 18 months. Serio is trying to avoid that. The task, however, is difficult. AFSCME members have expressed frustration with NEIU administration, describing the process as “slow and painful” and “exhausting.”
“For the first eight months, it felt like it was a group project where half the group wasn’t doing any work,” Fitchett said, describing what it is like to negotiate with NEIU.
The next negotiating session between AFSCME and NEIU will be on April 9, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. AFSCME members and supporters will be marching from the first floor of Lech Walesa Hall to Building B.
“We always welcome supporters to show up!” Serio said.
