College of DuPage employees form union with AFSCME

Taking the next step in their union organizing campaign that kicked off in March, some 600 employees of the College of DuPage (COD) on July 8 filed a majority interest petition with the Illinois Labor Relations Board.

Upon verifying that the petition includes the signatures of a majority of employees, the board will officially certify the union as part of AFSCME Council 31.

The new union—College of DuPage Staff United/AFSCME—will represent “classified” staff (including administrative, clerical, IT and similar employees) whose work supports COD students and faculty. About 50 College of DuPage custodial workers are already represented by AFSCME Local 8257. 

In the public letter that announced their organizing campaign in March, COD employees wrote, “We are forming our union because we are proud of the work we do to see our students and community thrive … [I]t’s time for staff to have our own voice.”

College of DuPage is one of the top community colleges in the state. Between its six satellite locations and online courses, it serves more than 20,000 students from DuPage, Cook and Will Counties each year. 

Employees have been frustrated over management’s erosion of their benefits over the years. The thing that tipped many over the edge was when the college released a compensation study, and used that study to justify freezing the wages of many staff.

Kim Still has worked at COD for 30 years. For the last 12 years, she’s worked in Veterans Services processing education benefits that veterans can use to attend the college. She said she and her coworkers are proud of the work they do, but that work needs to be properly valued.

“I love everything about what College of DuPage represents,” Still said. “I love what we do for the students. I love how we impact their lives. Every one of us has their hand in the students’ success here in one way or another. We’re a common good for our community and we deserve to be treated as such.”

Still said she’s tired of feeling like she and her coworkers don’t have a say in how COD operates and treats its employees. 

“We deserve better benefits. We deserve better wages. And we deserve to be heard,” Still said.