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| Union Pickets City of Galesburg for Better Contract |
An official representing one of the unions representing a group of city employees says there's really only one detail that's keeping a new contract between them and the City of Galesburg from being approved.
Members of Local 1173 of AFSCME Council 31 picketed Monday night's Galesburg City Council meeting.
AFSCME staff representative Randy Lynch says that main sticking point that's held up negotiations after a year: a guaranteed work week.
And Lynch tells WGIL given what the union is handing back to the city in return, he doesn't think it's too much to ask.
"We've made them a very lucrative deal," Lynch said, "with the retirement plans, health insurance, we're willing to give up our first-year wage increase that they've offered us, and the retro pay. If you put that all together over a four-year period, we figure, conservatively, from the information that the city negotiating committee has given us, we look at it conservatively as a $900,000 savings over a four year period."
Lynch says he wants to avoid a strike at all costs, and says he doesn't believe that up to now, aldermen have been fairly apprised of the situation.
That's something at least one alderman agreed with, but Mayor Sal Garza says isn't true at all.
The city and AFSCME are working with a federal mediator, though Lynch says he never heard back from the city following an offer made last week.
(Members of AFSCME Council 31 Local 1173 picket outside Galesburg City Hall Monday night. WGIL News Story and Photo by Will Stevenson.) |
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| 02 02 10 by Newsroom |
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