Published on Friday, December 7, 2007

Health Services workers seek fairness

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“A slowdown is an old factory labor tactic in which employees perform their duties but seek to reduce productivity or efficiency in their slow performance of these duties.

Such a tactic is inappropriate in the service sector. Students depend on the care we provide.

The ladies of Health Services have respect and compassion for their student clients.

Your Health Service workers will NEVER engage in a work slow down.

Since the Health Service workers petition to join a union was recognized by the State of Illinois on Sept. 10, 2007 NIU has not made a single proposal in contract bargaining.

NIU has not made a single counter proposal to any of the unions proposals.

NIU has agreed to only one day of bargaining in the entire month of December.

Rather than labor, it’s the NIU administration that is engaging in a slowdown!

Further, the NIU administration has denied Health Service workers the 4 percent raise that was retroactive to July 1. Does the NIU administration think they can bully Health Service workers because they are an all female unit?

We urge the NIU Board of Trustees to direct their administrators to bargain in good faith and in a timely manner and come to a fair contract for the health service workers.”

James Sheridan
President, AFSCME Local 963