Janitors, custodians, and other school service workers are reporting stumbling blocks in reaching a salary deal with a few school districts in Illinois, according to reports in the Chicago Tribune and the website of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73.
The 80 custodians in Local 73 who work in Decatur voted last week to authorize a strike against Decatur School District 61, primarily over the salaries paid to service workers. “The leaders of this school district have a history of disrespecting these essential workers,” the Decatur Tribune quoted Joseph Richert, SEIU Local 73 Secretary-Treasurer, as saying. “The custodians kept the schools safe and clean throughout the pandemic. They deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. They deserve to be paid a living wage for their work.”
Negotiations in Aurora involving Indian Prairie School District 204 are between the union and Aramark, the company that provides 180 contractual service employees to the schools in the district. Aramark has told the union that it cannot offer higher wages because of the district’s restrictive budget, the Tribune quoted SEIU Local 1 spokesperson Bailey Koch as saying. The company’s last and final offer, she said, was a 4% increase in the first year, a 3.5% increase the next, and another 4% increase the third year for a total 11.5% increase in wages over the three years. That is not likely to keep up with inflation, she said.
The district has a few options if more money is needed in the Aramark contract: They could cut some other programs, or they could raise additional revenue through a tax referendum that might be on the November ballot, according to Chief School Business Official Matt Shipley. “The district has had a long-term relationship with Aramark and recognizes the services provided are critical to ensuring the success of our students. The district is not involved in the negotiations and expects both sides to work towards a mutually agreeable contract,” he said in an email to the Tribune.
Several years of concerns and complaints over school cleanliness from staff, parents, and students in the Chicago Public Schools caused the nation’s third-largest school district in February not to renew the multi-million-dollar contract it had with Philadelphia-based Aramark, Chalkbeat reported.
At the time, Stacia Scott Kennedy, executive vice president of SEIU, said she was thrilled the contract was over. “I feel hopeful that this change in management will improve the outcomes of cleanliness,” Chalkbeat quoted her as saying. “I also feel hopeful that it’ll improve the working conditions of our members who have suffered under private contracts with management for the last 10 years.”