Hopes for a quick end to the faculty strike at Elgin Community College faded Tuesday as union leaders and administrators refused to give an inch on the first day of the walkout.
The strike canceled classes for more than 15,000 students, some of whom were surprised to arrive on campus to official posters announcing the work stoppage. Small groups of the 212 full- and part-time instructors took two-hour shifts quietly carrying picket signs.
“We’re dug in this for the long haul if it has to be that,” said ECC Faculty Association spokesman Gary Christenson. “We’re well-organized and ready to do this if we have to.”
College President Michael Shirley sounded a similar note.
“The board feels they made a good, fair offer and are not willing to change it right now,” Shirley said.
A lengthy strike could not only delay graduation and drain the pocketbooks of striking teachers, but also cost the college state funding. Grants to Illinois community colleges are based on credit hours offered, and if the semester has to be shortened, it could affect grant money in future years.
After 10 months of negotiation and more than a month without a contract, the two sides deadlocked Monday over increases in faculty salaries–which average $69,000 a year–and a managed health-care plan that the college wants to employ.
The union says managed health care would reduce flexibility, and members have offered to pay the cost to keep the current plan.
When talks fell apart Monday night, the college had two offers on the table, Shirley said.
A four-year administration proposal called for an average 5.15 percent annual raise with competitive bidding for health-care plans, he said. A one-year offer with bidding for health-care plans would have increased salaries 5 percent.
The union proposed a one-year extension of the expired contract, with the old health plan in place, a 5 percent salary increase and formation of a committee to study insurance options.
Shirley said the federal mediator who has been working with both sides since Jan. 25 does not plan to call a meeting for two weeks. If either side has an offer before then, a meeting can be set, but there were no signs of new proposals Tuesday.
“We’d rather be teaching,” said Elizabeth Becker, a biology professor picketing Tuesday. “But this is where we need to be until the board is willing to negotiate in good faith.”
During the strike, faculty will go without pay. A strike fund will support strike logistics, Christenson said. Teachers’ insurance benefits will remain in effect for 31 days.
Although classes were canceled, buildings remained open. Many students used the time to catch up on studying in the library.
“I understand where both sides are coming from and do support the teachers’ need to make a fair wage,” said Curtis Peterson, 22, of Elgin, who squeezes classes around his job. “At the same time it’s affecting me. I’m using vacation time for some of my classes.”
Millions of dollars in state reimbursements to the school could be affected, said Joe Cipfl, president of the Illinois Community College Board, the state agency that doles out the grants. Cipfl estimated that if the strike consumed 15 days that were not made up later, the college could lose $1.85 million, based on a reimbursement of $30.84 per credit hour, with 10,000 students taking six credit hours each. Reimbursements are made two years after the credit hours are recorded.
Shirley said he does not expect the college to lose funds. If the strike drags on for more than a week, the semester will be extended into June, he said. But a long strike could limit summer options, he said.
