The full Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board has unanimously agreed with an Administrative Law Judge that SIU-Carbondale administrators bargained in bad faith during contract negotiations with the school's unions in 2011.
Judge Colleen Harvey issued the decision last July, more than three years after the Illinois Education Association and the three unions representing SIU-C faculty and staff filed the complaint. The full board agreed with Harvey that SIU-C acted illegally during the 2011 contract dispute that resulted in faculty and staff having to take four furlough days.
The ruling also says the former SIU administration illegally pushed the unions during negotiations to a point of impasse. The administration can appeal this latest decision. An appeal must be filed by Thursday.
The SIU Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting this afternoon in closed session to discuss how it will proceed in this matter. The special meeting is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. in Birger Hall on the SIU-Edwardsville campus.
SIU-C spokesperson Rae Goldsmith says the university will not issue a statement until after the special meeting.
