The Service Employees International Union Local 73 will officially strike on Monday at 7 a.m. on the corner of Oak Street and Kirby Avenue in Champaign.
This comes after a series of unsuccessful negotiations with the University.
The union said that during negotiations on Sept. 20, the University arrived with no new offers and had no response to their proposal. The University ended negotiations early, and another meeting is tabled for Monday at 2 p.m.
As of Sept. 20, all dormitory convenience stores, cafes and most of the Lincoln Avenue dining service will be closed for two weeks for the indefinite strike.
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UPDATE: Sept. 23, 10:37 p.m.
Around 700 University employees went on strike this morning, hindering services across dining halls, gyms and other public spaces on campus. LAR dining hall, Field of Greens at LAR, Corner Cafe at FAR and Everybody Eats at ISR have already closed.
The strike, which is expected to last indefinitely, culminated after negotiations failed with the University last Friday.
Jazmine Salas, communications specialist at SEIU, said that the University offered no concrete answer to the union’s proposals during the meeting.
“When we made our proposal, they didn’t respond … they didn’t say yes or no; they ended the meeting early,” Salas said. “The fact that you don’t come to the table with a serious proposal to resolve these issues is very problematic.”
Strikers are demanding “more money, a fair contract and more bodies” in the wake of recent contract expirations with the workers in August.
“I apologize that (the students) have to go through this, but we hope to rectify this soon because our main priority is to take care of you all,” said Nichole Teague, food sanitation laborer at Ikenberry Dining Hall. “I can’t handle the work anymore. It’s frustrating me; it’s had my anxiety through the roof. It’s virtually impossible to keep up with the demand.”
SEIU once again rejected the University’s negotiations at 2 p.m. today, according to a statement from the union. The new deal offered by the University bargained for a $1/hr raise for SEIU workers the first year, then 75 cents for the next two. Negotiations will happen again on Sept. 26.
Strikers include the University’s food service workers, building service workers and facilities and service workers. All three categories of University employees are hoping for a single contract proposal with the University, although details on their demands have been kept under wraps.
“We can’t afford life; we can’t afford this strike, but we’re doing it because we have to take a stance,” said a facilities and services worker of 10 years who elected to remain anonymous. “We take care of everything that isn’t privately owned.”
**This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.**
