Confusion lingers about unfair labor practice charges which the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees filed against the university July 27.

The AFSCME charged NIU for failure to bargain in good faith about contractual clauses, said Robert Perkovich, Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board executive director.

Food service and building maintenance workers’ contracts were approved in October after five months of negotiations. However, AFSCME charged that NIU implemented changes in wages and hours before all possible negotiations were finished. AFSCME filed charges because NIU did not bargain with the union before implementing changes

After a lengthy investigation conducted by the IELRB, Perkovich said he issued a complaint against NIU.

ichard Coffee, staff attorney for the Board of Regents, NIU’s governing board, said at this point he does not know how he will proceed because the IELRB failed to send a copy of the complaint to his office. A copy of the complaint should reach the Regents soon, Coffee said.

“It is my understanding that the union refiled charges taking into account that the contract was signed,” Coffee said.

Dec. 15 and 16 is the scheduled time for the hearing, Perkovich said. After briefs are filed, either the university or the union will have a chance to appeal the IELRB’s decision, he said.

AFSCME representative Kay Argo was unavailable for comment early in the week.

NIU Legal Counselor George Shur said filed charges do not imply the university has violated regulations. Rather, a complaint means a hearing has been scheduled which will determine the outcome of the charges, Perkovich said.

Charges usually are filed in order to sway people to one side during negotiations, Shur said. Publicity is another reason to file charges, he said.

AFSCME filed the charges when the union believed negotiations had come to impasse, which means talks were not progressing, Shur said. This confused several NIU administrators because at the time the charges were filed, meetings with an outside mediator were in progress, he said.