Employees of Secretary of State Jesse White who are members of the Illinois Federation of Teachers have taken a strike authorization vote, but will continue negotiating for the time being.þþAnother bargaining session with a federal mediator is scheduled for Feb. 14. Meanwhile, union members plan an informational picket in Springfield and Chicago on Tuesday. The union is upset with offers that have been made on wages and maternity leave.þþThe contract issue involves two locals of the IFT representing employees in White’s office. One is a group of 98 information systems employees and the other is a group of 157 workers with a variety of job titles in the state archives, state library, personnel, securities and elsewhere.þþDeneen Taylor, a field service representative for the IFT, said the bulk of the workers are located in Springfield.þþThe IFT’s last contract expired June 30, but bargaining on a new one didn’t start until July 8. Since then, Taylor said, there have been 11 negotiating sessions.þþ“We took a last, best and final offer from the secretary of state,” Taylor said. “We have reached tentative agreement on language items. “We had a last, best and final offer on economics which membership voted down by a 2-1 margin.”þþAt the same time, Taylor said, the membership voted 3-1 “for an authorization for the bargaining team to call a strike if necessary.”þþThat won’t happen right away. Another bargaining session with a mediator is scheduled for February 14. Taylor said there have been two previous sessions with a mediator present.þþWhite spokesman Dave Druker declined to discuss details of the negotiations.þþ“We’ll be back negotiating in good faith,” he said of the upcoming bargaining session. “We have the greatest respect for the employees.”þþTaylor said members are not satisfied with wage increases offered by White’s negotiators and that maternity leave falls far behind what is available in other statewide offices.þþTaylor also said IT workers in the secretary of state’s office are paid less than comparable jobs in other areas of state government which leads to job turnover.þþ“We really don’t want the office to be the stepping ground for employees to move on to other offices or agencies,” she said.þþOther job titles in the secretary of state’s office also pay less than comparable positions elsewhere, she said. Taylor said there is also an issue about not filling job vacancies which puts pressure on the remaining workers. She said the IT local has seen a 20 percent reduction in membership since 2010.þþWhite’s office has negotiated new contracts with the Service Employees International Union and the Teamsters. SEIU represents most of White’s employees.þþThe office is still in negotiation with the Fraternal Order of Police and the Police Benevolent Labor Council.
Source: sj-r.com
