At a special Western Illinois University Board of Trustees meeting on the WIU-Quad Cities campus, the Board approved three contracts with negotiated employee groups and approved hiring a search firm to find the institution's new athletic director.
Bargaining Agreements
The Board approved the bargaining agreement with the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, which was ratified July 6. Western's Office of Public Safety police officers represented by the FOP will receive a 2.4 percent base wage increase for Fiscal Year 2027, retroactive to July 1, 2026. A 2.5 percent base wage increase will go into effect FY28 and a three percent increase will happen the next fiscal year.
The Board also approved the latest contract with the International Union of Operating Engineers AFL-CIO Local Union 399 Heating Mechanical Maintenance, which was ratified Aug. 10. Employees represented by this union will receive the same bonus structure set with the FOP lodge. In addition, a one-time $500 bonus will be paid to the negotiated AFLCIO Union 399 employees.
The final contract approved was the International Union of Operating Engineers AFL-CIO Local Union 399 Landscape Maintenance agreement, which was ratified July 27. The
