Food and building service workers, represented by Service Employees International Union Local 73, at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign went on strike Monday morning.
Wages are a major issue.
“They give us just a little bit every year,” said building service worker Liem To. “A lot of departments get a lot more money than us.”
He said it can be challenging to pay for his family’s healthcare costs on their hourly wages. “It used to be that a co-pay was $20. Now the co-pay is $35 dollars.”
According to Service Employees International Union Local 73 President Melody Decker, the university is offering a raise of less than a dollar per hour in the new contract, while custodians and dining hall workers have a heavier work load with record student enrollment this year.
“Our goal continues to be to reach an agreement as quickly as possible and in a way that is fair, and we will continue to provide essential services throughout the strike to our students, faculty and staff,” University of Illinois spokesperson Robin Kaler said in a statement.
She said the administration has reached agreements with union leadership twice, but union members voted them down. The university has scheduled seven more bargaining sessions, which will start Monday afternoon.
According to Kaler, the university plans to maintain essential dining services, cleaning bathrooms and taking out trash with help from supervisors and workers not on strike.