You have Wendy’s, McDonald’s, you have other places saying they pay up to $17 an hour.

He voted for the contract in the hopes that it will help fill vacancies in his department. James Montague is the head custodian at Jefferson Middle School. He says he was happy that 120 people turned out to vote, especially compared to sparse attendance at union meetings.

Sussen says there are about 700 support professionals and about half are union members. The Unit 4 Board of Education then approved it unanimously. Emily Hays/Illinois Public MediaĬESP members approved the contract in a 100-to-20 vote. Jefferson Middle School head custodian James Montague voted for the new union contract in the hopes that higher wages will attract more coworkers. The $15 minimum wage goes into effect in 2025. He says the raises also help the district pre-empt state minimum wage laws.īy state law, the district would have to pay at least $13 an hour, starting in January 2023. Quite frankly, some of our positions were sort of out of balance with market conditions,” Kleber says. Unit 4 Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Ken Kleber says the district raised wages to keep up with other employers in the region.

Under the contract, the school district’s lowest paid, unionized workers – like first-year bus monitors – get a raise, from under $13 an hour to $15.50. And that’s a huge win for all of us,” says union president Jamie Sussen.ĭespite being voted into the president’s seat just this spring, Sussen has been involved in contract negotiations throughout the year. “Knowing what we proposed in the very beginning, and where we wound up, this is easily the biggest contract that’s ever happened for CESP. CHAMPAIGN - Custodians, assistant teachers and other support staff in the Champaign Unit 4 School District are all making at least $15 an hour, as of July 1.īoth the school board and members of the Champaign Educational Support Professionals union approved a new, four-year contract last week.

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