State Board of Education employees secure "monumental" contract

Members of AFSCME Local 2811 who work for the Illinois State Board of Education started bargaining a new contract for their 45 members while negotiations for a new State of Illinois master contract were already well underway. These state employees have their own contract because they don’t work for the executive branch, but they pay close attention to the master agreement, and they knew they wanted to mirror its gains.

Many AFSCME members at ISBE land there as their first job out of college. Others are single mothers, just trying to pay their bills. Still others found at ISBE a job that provides a stable and secure retirement and health benefits.

But for too long, low wages had been the norm at ISBE. The bargaining committee vowed to change that.

“It was ridiculous to us that we were working for the state, but we were still struggling to pay our bills,” said Shelley Hamlin, a program specialist II and Local 2811’s president.

Early on, management’s paltry economic offers offended the bargaining committee. Clearly management wouldn’t get the message unless union members made a strong show of force, so the local organized an informational picket outside the ISBE office in Springfield.

Members of nearby unions and other AFSCME locals joined in solidarity. A Council 31 media advisory caught the eye of several local news stations, which amplified the union’s message and made certain that ISBE bosses would get the message.

But more action was still needed to get them across the finish line. In the months that followed, members wore green every Wednesday. Sticker and button days were scheduled frequently. They went directly to one of the well-attended meetings of the ISBE Board of Directors, where they urged the board to settle a fair contract with fair pay for employees.

Then in July 2023, state government employees reached a contract settlement that had wage increases of nearly 19% and only modest health insurance cost increases. Those victories kept Local 2811 fighting.

As the bargaining committee sensed they were nearing the end, they made one final move: Throughout the coming weeks, they adorned the halls of the ISBE office with vibrant AFSCME green balloons. Union members would replenish them when they got deflated so that wherever management looked, they would always find green balloons. It served as a constant reminder that the union was determined to win a fair contract at all costs.

Taken together, these actions were the deciding factor. Management said as much at one of their last bargaining sessions.

The average wage increase in the final contract ratified by members was “monumental,” Hamlin said, featuring pay increases of 32% over four years. The agreement also reduced the total number of steps on the wage scale so employees will climb it even faster. Starting and top wage rates were both substantially increased, helping both the newest and the longest-serving employees.

The union also won increased longevity and seniority bonuses, more than doubled the amount employees can get reimbursed for continuing education, gained two additional weeks of paid parental leave and secured stronger union rights.

“We knew that if we stuck with it, we’d succeed,” Hamlin said. “It was painful at times, but we stuck it out because we knew how important this was to our members.”

The bargaining committee included Hamlin, Treasurer Pam Krushall, and Executive Board members Wanda Schoeneweis and Toya Lloyd. The committee was led by Council 31 Staff Representative Joseph Jay.