The union representing clerical and technical staff at the City Colleges of Chicago has announced its plan to strike if no deal is reached on a contract by next week.
The 450 full- and part-time employees represented by the Federation of College Clerical and Technical Personnel — which is affiliated with the Illinois Federation of Teachers — approved a May 1 strike date after working without a collective bargaining agreement for the past three years.
Almost 90 percent of members rejected City Colleges management’s last contract offer, according to a press release from the Illinois Federation of Teachers.
A statement attributed to FCCTP President Delores Withers indicated wages are the most important issue on the table.
“Sixty-six percent of our part-time employees — the majority who are black and brown women — earn less than Chicago’s minimum wage,” Withers is quoted as saying in the statement. “They can’t afford health insurance or even take a sick day because they can’t miss a day of pay. It’s just morally wrong, and we’re not going to take it anymore.”
