By WMBD TV
NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) — Illinois State University workers are heading into their third week of striking with no additional bargaining sessions in sight.
AFSCME Council 31 represents building, grounds, and dining service employees of the university.
The union and ISU bargaining teams met at the table last Wednesday, but left without a deal.
As of Tuesday, no additional talks are scheduled, and there is no timeline for when the parties will meet again.
The ISU website on the status of negotiations offers a summary of what it has called a last, best, final offer to the union.
In that offer, the 192 represented building services employees would start at an average of $22.78 per hour. The 122 dining workers would be at $21.34, while the 18 union grounds workers would earn an average of $26.42 per hour. The 18 other workers represented under the union contract would earn an average of $24.45 per hour.
The university website also said, “following the initial wage increase at ratification, each employee in the bargaining unit would also receive a guaranteed 3% increase in base pay on July 1 of this year and then annually each July 1 through July 1, 2029.”
The university calls its offer competitive, comparable to the hourly wages of similarly positioned employees at other area businesses.
A union member said they have requested to see the businesses the university is referring to, but have not been provided with that information, and many of their workers are making $16 an hour.
“This is inaccurate,” according to the university webpage. The university said 7 percent of the workers on strike were making under $17 an hour.
Renee Nestler is a spokesperson for AFSCME Council 31. “Most of our bargaining unit employees are somewhere in the $20 to $22 range,” she said.
But Nestler said it is important to understand, “for a single individual living in McLean County that is under the living wage, which is $21.49.”
Still, the union is less specific on its sticking points. “We don’t have a specific number, but it’s a combination of addressing the retro [pay] issue, the across-the-board wages, and the campus wage program,” Nestler said.
The two main things Nestler points to are retroactive pay dating back to July 1, 2025, and if employees who are not covered under the union contract were to receive higher wages, the union workers would receive the same amount.
The university’s webpage also said that its union workers would receive a lump-sum payment of $600 and continue to receive a competitive benefits package and time-off offerings.
“Our focus remains on reaching a resolution that supports our employees while minimizing disruption to our students’ academic experience. We remain committed to good-faith negotiations and to continuing to serve our students without interruption,” it said.
Into week three, the impasse between AFSCME Council 31 and ISU continues.
WMBD TV first reported on this story. The original story can be found online at CIProud.com.
