The faculty union ratified a tentative agreement Monday for a four-year contract by a vote of 325 to 19.

Twenty-eight ballots were counted as spoiled ballots because they were not signed or the names could not be identified, said University Professionals of Illinois chapter president David Radavich.

More than 80 percent of the membership voted on the contract.

The union has said about 75 percent of Eastern’s 576 faculty are union members.

Just over 50 percent of the membership approval was needed to ratify the contract, which must now be approved by Eastern’s Board of Trustees.

“I think we got the faculty a good contract,” said UPI chief negotiator Charles Delman. “I think it’s as fair as we could get during the current (economic) situation.”

The agreement was signed by negotiating teams for the administration and the UPI completely Feb. 12 following 11 months of talks.

“I think we’re very pleased,” Radavich said. “I expected more no votes.”

He said the votes not in support could be because of compensation, but the “other parts of the contract were very good.”

The agreement also has language on distance education and patent wording for the first time in the faculty contract, he said.

The language on academic freedom matches wording in BOT policies, Radavich said.

Without a scheduled board meeting until April, the contract could be ratified with a teleconference vote, said political science instructor David Carwell.

Carwell collected the mail-votes for the contract. He said a majority of the ballots were received last Tuesday, but faculty submitted them up until the deadline Monday night.

“The last one was handed in at five minutes to 5 p.m.,” Carwell said.

Eastern’s contract primarily includes provisions for Unit B or non-tenured faculty; intellectual property rights; compensation, including supplemental; more merit pay; distance education; workload; faculty evaluation methods; sabbatical issues and benefits.

While the issue of compensation is fair, some university resources could be better allocated, Delman said.

Faculty will not receive a raise for this fiscal year. However, in the second, third and fourth years of the contract, 2, 2.5 and 3 percent increases will be offered. The amounts are in addition to state appropriations.

“In view of the unfortunate economic conditions surrounding the state of a Illinois’ budget, the administration … provided a very generous package to the faculty and support professionals represented by the UPI,” said Bob Wayland, director of employee and labor relations, in a university press release.

The contract is especially beneficial in the areas of workload for tenure and tenure-track faculty, Delman said.

“I’m glad we made some major workload improvements … this will ensure (faculty) some time to work on research for their jobs,” he said.

Workload for full-time faculty will remain at 18 to 24 credit units per academic year.

Unit B faculty and part-time faculty with 18 or more credit units but with six or fewer for one semester can still maintain part-time status for that semester.

Probational faculty, those who have not reached tenure, cannot teach more than 21 credit units each academic year, according to the contract.

The contract is an opportunity to return peaceful labor relations to the university, Wayland said.

“The agreement also provides many other economic and non-economic improvements during the term of the contract,” he said. “The EIU administration is gladdened to have the university community return to an amicable and collegial environment.”