After ten months of bargaining and close to 20 bargaining sessions, including the last two with assistance of a federal mediator, CODAA and COD reached agreement on a contract for Part-Time Counseling and Advising faculty.
The Counselors and Advisors approached CODAA in February 2009 when they heard rumors that changes were being contemplated by COD administration. Their concerns were well-founded. In July 2009 COD announced that Advisors would be reclassified and have their pay cut by as much as 33%. Counselors immediately had their pay cut from $33.97 to $33.00 per hour. When CODAA won the right to represent Counselors and Advisors before the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, pay cuts for Advisors were put on hold and the Counselors pay was restored. CODAA’s win before the Labor Board came only after numerous challenges by COD over their right to unionize.
All things considered, the bargaining went well. We were able to bargain a decent pay increase for the Counselors, and stave off the worst of the cuts for Advisors.
Some of the benefits that Counselors and Advisors will now enjoy that they did not previously have guaranteed to them are:
- A grievance/arbitration procedure ending in binding arbitration.
- No discrimination for union activity
- Jury duty pay
- Wellness plan (for as long as FTers have it)
- Access to professional development funds
- Academic freedom
- A voice in the Information Guide for Part Time Faculty
- Core job duties identified in contract
- Some rights to assignment
- Sick/personal time that can be use for personal time
- Faculty status protected
The issue of whether Counselors and Advisors would retain their status as Part-Time Faculty was one the biggest accomplishments in these negotiations. This was issue that precipitated their organizing. We proud to have won a decent contract for Counselors and Advisors and proud to have them join the ranks of CODAA!
Thanks to the dedicated negotiating team:
Mike Dusik, CODAA President; Joanne Barsanti, CODAA Grievance Chair; Advisors Cheryl Baunbach-Caplan and Jim Ryan; Counselors Lana Hall and Jessica Dyrek and Michelle Couturier, IEA UniServ Director.