Workers poured through the Illini Union on Tuesday, caroling angrily in a protest that highlighted the ongoing dispute between the University and its clerical staff.

About 25 clerical workers spent their lunch breaks in the Union singing protest songs set to the tunes of traditional Christmas carols. One song, called Clericals, was sung to the tune of Jingle Bells and said, “Clericals, Clericals/ We’ll negotiate/ Tell the U of I to meet/ We don’t want to wait.”

The protesters were members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3700, whose contract with the University expired in August.

The two sides have been negotiating since May with slow results, said Dorinda Miller, the president of Local 3700.

The University’s latest proposal calls for the removal of a program that determined an employee’s pay under the old contract. Under the program, a new worker made about $20,000 annually, Miller said, but a worker with 25 of years experience could move up “steps” to earn a maximum of almost $50,000.

University spokeswoman Robin Kaler said the University’s proposal was a reaction to cuts in state funding.

The University’s offer, she said, was no different from the contracts given to other unions on campus.

“We’re not asking anybody to give anything back, but we just can’t continue to give increases at the rate they’re accustomed to,” Kaler said. “They’re asking for double what we give everybody else.”

Jerry Wright, the lead negotiator for the union, said that, since the money to pay the clerical staff’s salaries did not come out of state funds, there was no reason to cut their pay raises.

“They have no problem finding money to put up new buildings,” Wright said. “But you can’t build a building and then forget about the staff that work in it.”

The infrequency of negotiations has been an obstacle for both sides. Negotiations have been delayed several times as one of the University’s negotiators undergoes treatment for a long-term illness.

As a result, Miller said, the two sides have been meeting only once every four or five weeks.

“We’re very sympathetic towards (the negotiator), but we feel the University needs to meet with us more than once per month,” Miller said. “If one of our negotiators were sick, they would expect us to replace him, and we think they should do the same.”

Wright said he planned to file an unfair labor practice grievance against the school, but Kaler said the blame for the delays belonged to both sides.

“Both sides have put off meetings for various reasons,” Kaler said. “(The union) made us miss a meeting because someone was on vacation for two weeks, so it’s not fair to say that we’re the ones delaying bargaining.”

The protest at the Union was the third one held by Local 3700 since November.

Wright said the demonstration was designed to put pressure on the University and mobilize the union’s workers, but Kaler downplayed its importance.

“Any time our employees feel they want to publicly discuss how they feel about something, it’s fine with us,” Kaler said. “But it won’t change the fact that we don’t have money.”