Press Release From IECC District Office:
The Board of Trustees of the Illinois Eastern Community College District No. 529 met Wednesday, September 3, 2025 at IECC District Office, Olney, IL for a special meeting.
The Board went into executive session to discuss employment, litigation and collective negotiating matters. No formal action was taken during either the closed or open portions of the meeting.
After returning from closed session, Chairman Carter issued a statement regarding recent labor negotiations with the Faculty Association. Chairman Carter explained that earlier this year, IECC and the Faculty Association had reached a collective bargaining agreement extending through August 2026. However, two accompanying memoranda of agreement establishing committees on faculty performance evaluations and distance learning still have not been submitted for ratification by the Association despite a tentative agreement signed by the Association’s President on February 28, 2025. Instead, the Association presented its membership with two memoranda of agreement unilaterally rewritten by its leadership, rather than the MOAs negotiated and agreed upon with IECC as part of the tentative agreement.
On behalf of the Board, Chairman Carter expressed concern about the Association’s actions and its insistence on proposing different language not previously negotiated. Chairman Carter expressed his opinion that this conduct constitutes bad-faith bargaining and mirrors past delays in contract negotiations.
To protect the District’s legal rights, Chairman Carter announced that IECC’s Chancellor has decided to file a bad faith bargaining unfair labor practice charge with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. Chairman Carter also indicated that the full Board supported the Chancellor’s decision. The Chairman also emphasized that the charge is not punitive but defensive, noting the charge could always be withdrawn if or when the Association decides to comply with its legal obligations by submitting the memoranda for a membership vote and using its best efforts to persuade the membership to ratify the memoranda.
The Board reaffirmed its commitment to collaboration, urging the Association to honor its obligations and work with IECC toward a constructive and cooperative relationship.
The next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees will be Tuesday, September 16, 2025, at 6:15 p.m. at Frontier Community College, Fairfield, IL.