The session began with us presenting our counter on Article IV: Union Membership and Union Activity. The Administration’s Bargaining Team then presented their counter on Article IX: Benefits and Leaves.
A great amount of progress was made towards settling both of these articles. We are optimistic that an agreement could be reached by next Friday.
As a reminder, one of the things we are fighting for in Article IX is retirement access to the library system. A moment of note from today’s session was when member Dorothee Schneider, who is retiring this year, was able to better clarify the process by which retirees could access library resources.
This proved a concrete example of how important it is for members to attend bargaining sessions. Dorothee understands this concern because she is experiencing this concern.
There might well be parts of this contract you experience and understand better than anyone else. Be there to make sure your concerns are clear and accurate to all.
Next session, we could begin bargaining Article X: Appointment, Reappointment and Promotion. In this article we are fighting for things like-
- Guaranteed salary increases for promoted members
- Extra pay for extra work demanded of members
Is your required workload ambiguous or ever-changing? Have you been asked to perform extra duties without compensation?
Attend the next session and tell us about it. And, if you can’t make it in person, be sure to contact our Lead Negotiator, Kay Emmert, ake153[@]hotmail.com with your story.
Next Session:
Friday, April 26th
9:00am – 12:00pm (you can arrive and leave at-will)
Illinois Fire Service Institute (Digital signs within the building will alert you to the room.)
