About 25 disgruntled NIU employees displayed their discontent with an informational picket line Thursday.

Topping the list of concerns is pay equity. The picketers said they want their salaries increased to compare with other universities and nonunion employees at NIU.

Kay Argo, staff representative for American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said the union’s contract—which expired June 30—is being negotiated.

AFSCME Local President Leonard Nenia said the union has to “negotiate pay raises with the university” and the picket was “part of the negotiating process.”

Argo said while the two sides have come to terms on many issues, pay equity is not one of them.

Nenia said NIU’s excuse for not providing pay equity for the union workers was it didn’t have the money.

However, many of NIU’s nonunion employees received pay equity increases of up to 2 percent, adding the union wants the same pay equity for its workers, Argo said.

She said the union had an agreement with NIU that 12 building construction workers would receive gradual pay increases as they gained more experience.

But Argo said NIU told the union any pay increase for the 12 workers would have to come out of the salaries of other workers in the department.

“When it comes to other departments, NIU has seemed to have found the money,” Argo said.

The union also hoped to get the salaries of 12 workers at the Lorado Taft field campus increased, she said. The workers at Taft, located in Oregon, Ill., are receiving lower wages than workers who do the same jobs on campus, she said.