Champaign County employees say they will go on strike Wednesday if they aren’t able to reach a new contract agreement with administrators before then.
A local chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees claims officials are not making a fair offer to increase wages and reduce health insurance costs.
“For too many of us, county wages aren’t living wages,” Cecelia Phillips, a Deputy Clerk in the Circuit Clerk’s office and president of AFSCME Local 900 said in a statement. “They start at less than $16 an hour, and a third of all county workers make less than $20 an hour.”
In a previous statement, Champaign County Executive Steve Summers said officials are committed to negotiating and reaching “a fair and equitable agreement.”
The union represents employees in nearly every county department.
A work stoppage on Wednesday could bring county operations to a halt and cause delays for people who have business with Champaign County— including for highway maintenance, the courthouse, the clerk’s office and animal control.
Bargaining sessions were scheduled to resume Tuesday morning, according to a press release from AFSCME Local 900.