Kishwaukee College Board of Trustees and support staff agree on new contract

MALTA – The Kishwaukee Council of Support Staff Union and the Kishwaukee College Board of Trustees agreed to a new, four-year contract earlier this year.

The contract went into effect on July 1, 2023, and will last until June 30, 2027. According to a Kishwaukee College news release, some of the highlights of the new collective bargaining agreement include increased compensation and expanded leave time for support staff.

Eric Hermann, an application programer at Kishwaukee College, was one of the three support staff workers who represented the union in the negotiations.

“No negotiations are ever easy, but I’m pleased with how we were able to work together to find common ground and arrive at a deal that both sides found beneficial,” Hermann said. “I look forward to working with the college in the future and continuing to represent the concerns and interests of our members.”

According to the release, the negotiating teams employed interest-based bargaining – a mutually agreed upon negotiation strategy where both parties begin by stating their needs for the new contract as business partners, instead of staking out policy positions as adversaries. It’s a strategy the Malta-based college has used since 2016.

This type of bargaining sometimes takes longer than traditional bargaining because it requires more open discussion, which often takes more time than trading and amending offers back and forth. However, Cindy McCluskey, the executive director of Human Resources and Labor Relations at Kishwaukee College, said an agreement was reached within weeks.

“We are proud of the agreement we were able to reach after several weeks of good-faith negotiations,” McCluskey said. “Reaching a successful agreement in such a short time speaks to the good working relationship between the College and the KCSS Union as we continue to make Kishwaukee College a great place to work and learn.”

Maintenance Helper Phil Wilson and Application Programer Michael Ebner joined Hermann in representing the Kishwaukee Council Support Staff Union in the contract negotiation, while McCluskey was joined by Executive Director of Campus Operations and Technology R.J. McGarry and Executive Director of Human Resources Tina Swinger.

“Support staff are integral to the mission and vision of Kishwaukee College,” Kishwaukee College President Laurie Borowicz said. “We greatly appreciate the collaboration on this new contract to support the best interests of the College and the entire Kish community.”