The Examiner U-46 News Feed

New labor contract approved by District U-46

By Seth Hancock
  The Board of Education in School District U-46 unanimously approved a three-year contract with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) which includes automatic pay raises, regardless of performance, at its meeting on Monday, Oct. 4.
  The contract will run through 2024 according to Trisha Olson, chief legal officer.
  “The agreement was negotiated in June of 2021 and ratified by the union members on Sept. 24, 2021,” Olson said.
  In a memo, Olson wrote: “From a fiscal standpoint, new starting wages are implemented for all employees. For 2022 through 2023, all employees who had a proficient or better will get a 3 [percent] increase to their hourly wages, and those with a less than proficient will get a 1.5 [percent] increase. For 2022 through 2023, new hires will be placed at the starting wage. For 2023-2024, all employees who had a proficient or better will get a 2.5 [percent] increase to their hourly wages, and those with a less than proficient will get a 1.25 [percent] increase.”
  The starting wage will increase from $17.50 to $18 an hour for cook IIs, $17 to $17.50 for cooks along with satellite leaders and material expeditors, $16.50 to $17 for bakers as well as material stockers and assistant cooks, $15.25 to $16 for elementary leads, $14.50 to $15 for café relief and $14 to $15 for elementary assistant leads.
  Sue Kerr, the board’s president, claimed: “We should also note that this addresses minimum wage concerns that might happen in the future.”
  However, there was no immediate need to increase starting wages for any of the positions to match Illinois’ new minimum wage rates which are $11 an hour for 2021, $12 for 2022, $13 for 2023 and $14 for 2024.