Champaign Co. workers rallying for better contracts
'We want to be able to buy groceries, keep a roof over our head. We don't want to have to work two and three jobs at a time to make ends meet,' Cecelia Phillips, the AFSCME local 900 president, said.
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Phillips works in the Champaign County Circuit Clerk's Office and organized a rally Tuesday afternoon in hopes it'll change the minds of local government officials.
'Right now, our health care has the potential to go up 150% next year. And we are asking for a guarantee that it won't change anywhere from what we are doing this year,' Phillips said.
Right now, their insurance costs about $5,000 annually The county pays for $3,000 of that and employees pay the left over. But, she said the problem is the county doesn't want to guarantee any coverage over their deductible on the next contract.
'Our main issue is, once we see the affects of our health care costs go up, our essentially, our living wage will just be gone,' Champaign County Maintenance worker Jarod Tinsley said.
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Tinsley said he's supporting his co-workers who are hoping to find middle ground in the agreement.
'I mean, it would be nice to see a couple of higher percentage points on the raise, the raises that we're asking for. I can't get into any specifics about exactly what we're asking for. We're not asking for the moon,' Tinsley said.
Tinsley said they've been going on five months without a contract. Now, he and other employees are confused as to why the county isn't able to give them what they're asking for.
'The county doesn't have any money. They have a brand new building. They have an empty building. Find it,' Phillips said. 'They find it for things that they need. Make the employees a priority.'
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Phillips said they're prepared to continue contract negotiations until they find an agreement.
WCIA reached out to Champaign County Executive Steve Summers. Summers said Champaign County 'values their staff and are working through the collective bargaining process to come to an agreement on a contract.'
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