IECCEA Union Negotiations

Dear IECC Community,
 
As we continue to work through the important process of negotiations, I wanted to inform you that our IECCEA Union Negotiation website has been updated following our October 25, 2024 mediated session.
 
Here are the areas that have been updated:
 

1. A meeting summary from our October 25th meeting has been posted.
2. The union's proposal on HyFlex and Distance Learning is now available for your review.
3. A note has been placed under the Board Team’s proposal from September 5th.
4. The parties reached a tentative agreement on Section 9.6 (Insurance Benefits).  A copy of all TA’s as of 10/25/24 are now available on the site as well.

 
I encourage you to stay informed by visiting the website and reviewing these updates.
 
Thank you for your continued commitment to IECC.

Ryan Gower, Ph.D.
Chancellor; Illinois Eastern Community Colleges

Update on Union Negotiations 

10/24/2024

Colleagues,

I am writing to inform you of a significant development in our ongoing negotiations with the Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Education Association (IECCEA), which represents our full-time faculty. After nearly 17 months of negotiation, IECC has made the difficult decision to file an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board (IELRB) against the IECCEA. This decision was made after careful consideration and consultation with legal counsel, and reflects our commitment to a fair, transparent, and productive bargaining process. We believe this step is necessary to address the harmful, unproductive, and illegal practices we have encountered during these negotiations.

What Is an Unfair Labor Practice?

An Unfair Labor Practice charge is filed when one party believes the other has engaged in conduct that violates labor law. In this case, we are charging that the IECCEA has failed to bargain in good faith by (among other things) engaging in surface bargaining and/or regressive bargaining during our negotiations. Let me explain what these terms mean:

1. Failure to Bargain in Good Faith: Bad faith bargaining can take a variety of forms, including failing to meet at reasonable times and intervals to bargain, refusing to bargain over mandatory subjects of bargaining, refusing to provide relevant information when requested by the other side, and insisting to impasse on what are called non-mandatory or permissive subjects of bargaining.
2. Surface Bargaining: Surface bargaining is a subset of bad faith bargaining that occurs when one party simply goes through the motions of negotiating but demonstrates no genuine intent to reach an agreement. This can involve delaying tactics such as refusal to meet or rejecting reasonable proposals without offering meaningful counteroffers. These actions obstruct the path to resolution.
3. Regressive Bargaining: This is another subsect of bad faith bargaining that occurs when a party presents proposals that are less favorable than its previous offers. In our case, the IECCEA has introduced economic proposals that are more expensive than earlier submissions and has increased demands in areas where they had previously indicated a willingness to compromise. For instance, IECCEA introduced more stringent language that diminishes management rights, even though their prior proposals were more reasonable. This approach hinders progress and disrupts the negotiation process by moving the parties further away from an agreement.

Why This Matters

Bargaining in good faith is the foundation of any productive labor negotiation process. It allows both sides to come together with the shared goal of reaching a fair and sustainable agreement. Unfortunately, the actions of the IECCEA have made this extremely difficult. After 16 months of negotiation, we should expect to see compromise bringing both sides closer together. However, this has not been the case. The filing of this charge is necessary to protect the integrity of the bargaining process and with the hope that improved behavior will allow us to reach an agreement with the union more quickly.

Filing a ULP does not mean negotiations are over. It is a formal recognition that certain union actions are hindering progress. The IELRB will now review the charge, investigate the claims, and determine if violations have occurred. Should the Labor Board find in favor of IECC, remedies will be applied to correct these behaviors and ensure meaningful progress.

Next Steps

We remain committed to reaching a fair and equitable resolution. The IELRB will now proceed with its investigation into our ULP charge, though this process will take time. While we wait for the outcome, we will continue to participate in mediation, and we remain hopeful that meaningful progress can still be made.  Our next mediation sessions will be on 10/25 and 10/30.

What This Means for You

We understand that this news may raise concerns among faculty, staff, and students. Please rest assured that we are committed to keeping the campus community informed throughout this process. To do this we have created a new website where information about collective bargaining can be found (including a summary of IECC’s recent economic proposals to the IECCEA).  Our primary focus remains on delivering high-quality education and maintaining normal operations for everyone. We are fully prepared to take necessary steps to ensure minimal disruption during this period.

Thank you for your continued dedication to IECC’s mission and our students. We are committed to reaching a resolution that supports both the well-being of our faculty and the long-term success of our institution.

Sincerely,

Ryan Gower, Ph.D.
Chancellor
Illinois Eastern Community Colleges

Status of IECCEA Labor Negotiations

October 22, 2024
 
Colleagues,
  
We find ourselves entering a significant phase in our ongoing negotiations with the Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Education Association (IECCEA). For almost seventeen months now, we have worked diligently with the union to reach a resolution—one that is fair to our faculty and sustainable for our institution. Despite our best efforts, we have not yet succeeded. 
 
Our negotiations with the IECCEA began in May 2023, and since that time, we have met at the bargaining table only ten times including once with a federal mediator. Early in the process, we were able to secure tentative agreements with the union on several issues.  Since August 2023, progress, from my perspective, has been slow and hard to come by. We have presented and responded to proposals that address compensation, workload, and other sections of the collective bargaining agreement brought to us by the union, all while keeping our eye on management rights and the long-term well-being of our district.  As always, if you are a member of the bargaining unit, I encourage you to contact your IECCEA representative if you have any questions.
 
It is no secret that protracted negotiations of this kind can lead to frustration and uncertainty. I recognize and respect the rights of our faculty, via the IECCEA, to seek a contract they believe is fair. At the same time, there is important work to be done, and we have a responsibility to balance these demands with the overall needs of the institution. Over the past four years, the Board of Trustees has taken meaningful steps, through negotiations with the union, and Board action with our staff, to improve compensation for all IECC employees. The three-year banded salary program for non-bargaining unit members was the most aggressive salary program in recent IECC history. We acknowledge there is more work to be done, but it must be done carefully and incrementally to ensure that our financial resources are allocated in ways that will preserve the integrity and future of IECC.
 
Looking ahead, we have scheduled two mediation sessions with the IECCEA and a federal mediator on October 25 and October 30. It is my hope that these meetings will mark a turning point—one that brings us closer to a ratified agreement.
 
Sincerely,

Ryan Gower, Ph.D.
Chancellor, Illinois Eastern Community Colleges

Please see above. Check back for updates. 

We are committed to ensuring that all classes and student services continue without disruption. Should any interruptions occur, contingency plans will be in place to minimize their impact on students and staff.

IECC negotiates in good faith, seeking solutions that meet the needs of both our faculty and the institution. We are transparent with our offers and have a clear record of our commitment to meet, compromise, and willingness to maintain an open dialogue with IECCEA leadership.

If the faculty decides to strike, our goal is to maintain essential services and minimize disruptions to classes and campus operations. While we respect the faculty's right to strike, we are committed to staying at the negotiating table as long as it takes to reach an agreement that avoids this outcome.

IECC’s latest offer includes (among other things) competitive salary increases, adjustments to the overload pay structure, and proposals aimed at reducing salary compression. We are focused on addressing faculty concerns while maintaining fiscal responsibility.  You can find our most recent counter-proposals to the union above.

IECC will provide regular updates through official emails, website postings, and a dedicated negotiation webpage where faculty, staff, and students can stay informed about the progress of negotiations.