In addition to the recent faculty union settlement, four other contract agreements could be officially ratified this month.

Eastern’s Board of Trustees is set to tentatively meet March 19 in a teleconference call to vote on the contracts.

Eastern’s chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees agreed on wage issues for the third year of contracts, said Bob Wayland, director of employee and labor relations.

AFSCME represents two recent union settlements, one with building and food service employees and the other with clerical and technical representatives.

Each settlement affects about 200 union members.

“It was just a wage opener,” and the rest of the contract will be discussed in several months after the third-year agreements expire, Wayland said.

The contracts are now in their third year, and AFSCME members were offered no basic increase.

However, employees are guaranteed a one-time bonus equal to 1.5 percent of their base salary unless there is a rescission before mid-May.

That agreement matches the one offered to the University Professionals of Illinois local faculty chapter union for the first year of its contract.

The two other contracts to be ratified this month are with the local Illinois Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Painters District Council number 58.

The UPI negotiated for 11 months with steps made toward faculty striking.

The contract includes provisions for intellectual property rights, academic freedom, distance education and workload, among other issues.

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

The faculty ratified the 4-year contract Feb. 25.

Eastern also had labor agreements with other employee unions not settling new contracts, such as with the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police and International Union of Operating Engineers.