Northern Illinois University employees belonging to AFSCME Local 1890 approved a contract proposal Tuesday that was nearly three years in the making. The ratification vote on the five year contract took place throughout the day at NIU's student center. NIU’s Board of Trustees will vote on the deal May 10.
Sara Dorner is with AFSCME Council 31 and was part of the negotiations. She says she thinks NIU learned a lot about what its employees have to offer during the long bargaining process, and that “we will never be neglected again.”
If the contract is approved, union members will receive 3% pay raises for the next three years. They’ll have the option of negotiating pay hikes in the final two years of the contract. There are a number of other employee protections offered, including changes in grievance procedures.
AFSCME Local 1890 is made up mostly of clerical workers, but also includes a number of WNIJ staff members.
