To the Edge, Then Upward

With a living wage on the table and the Champaign  (Illinois ) school board refusing to accept it, the Champaign-ESP bargaining unit was just 15 minutes away from a strike this past spring. They were that determined to get a better deal for their friends and colleagues living in poverty—and they did.

In the face of solidarity and grit, the school board voted for 17 to 20 percent raises over three years for some of the district’s lowest-paid support professionals, including food service and transportation workers.

It came down to a few tense moments, but the campaign started more than a year ago when Champaign-ESP (CESP) joined the Champaign County Living Wage Association. Because CESP supports other unions’ struggles through the Association, “they’ll work with us on public education issues. This is not just about what you get—it’s about what others get. It all fits together,” says Illinois Education Association-NEA UniServ Director Gene Vanderport. And, when a living wage becomes the regional employment standard, he adds, “that undercuts the ability of low-wage private companies to successfully bid on school system contracts.”

Bottom line is, Vanderport says, “solidarity works for you.”