Kishwaukee College Submits ‘Last Best Offer’

Kishwaukee College and Kishwaukee College Education Association (KCEA) negotiation teams have participated in negotiations for a successor faculty contract since March, 2014. The negotiation teams reached a final tentative agreement on August 11, 2014 for a new, four-year faculty contract, but the KCEA membership failed to ratify the contract after delaying the ratification vote until September 30, 2014. After the failed ratification vote, the negotiation teams resumed bargaining. The negotiation teams have held five negotiation sessions since the unsuccessful KCEA ratification vote, including three sessions at which a federal mediator was present. The negotiation teams have reached agreement on all issues except salary, health insurance, supplemental retirement benefits, and sick leave. At the last mediation session on December 16, 2014, the College submitted a “Last Best Offer” package proposal in an effort to finally resolve these remaining negotiations issues. The terms of the College’s Last Best Offer include:

• Salary–Average annual salary increase for faculty of 4.1% for each year of the four-year contract term. This average percentage salary increase is significantly higher than the average CPI increase and higher than most recent faculty contract settlements for community colleges.
• Health Insurance–The College will pay faculty health insurance at contribution levels of 95% (single), 85% (single +1), and 80% (family). Subsequent annual premium cost increases are shared on an equal 50/50 basis by the faculty member and the College. The College’s percentage contributions toward single +1 and family coverage are substantially higher than prior contribution amounts under the previous faculty contract.
• Supplemental Retirement Plan–Faculty with 10+ years of College teaching service continue to receive College payment of the single health insurance premium under the College or State CIP health plan for a 10-year period post-retirement if they retire by June 30, 2017. Effective July 1, 2017, faculty will receive College payment of the single CIP premium for a seven-year or five-year period depending upon the faculty member’s length of College service. This post-retirement health insurance benefit is not typically included in most community college faculty contracts.

In addition, the College’s Last Best Offer includes two new compensation payments for faculty:

• Longevity–Faculty members receive an additional $500 upon 20 years of service and each additional five service years thereafter.
• Sick Leave Reimbursement–Faculty members receive $40 per day for any unused sick leave days not used for SURS service credit upon retirement or resignation, up to a maximum of 180 days.

The College believes that the faculty contract negotiation process has been delayed for several reasons:

• Seven-week delay between the August 11 tentative agreement and the September 30 KCEA ratification vote
• “Regressive” proposals submitted by the KCEA negotiation team (the proposals were “regressive” because a KCEA proposal would have increased the College’s costs, as compared to their previous proposal).
• The KCEA team declined repeated requests by the College negotiation team to meet more frequently and to extend the negotiation sessions beyond the two-hour limit under the negotiation ground rules.

The College is hopeful that the College’s Last Best Offer will be accepted and ratified by the KCEA membership. The College has bargained in a sincere effort to reach a final long-term faculty contract which fairly compensates faculty and is fiscally responsible. Any press inquiries should be directed to Kishwaukee College President Tom Choice.