Contract negotiations between the EIU-UPI and Eastern’s administration are continuing on, with several sessions scheduled for after the semester ends.

In a joint statement by Grant Sterling, lead negotiator for the EIU-UPI, and Amie Calvert, lead negotiator for the administration, they said both teams had four full-day sessions working through the process of “Straight-Up Negotiations.”

According to a previous article in The Daily Eastern News, the general concept of the SUN process is that both the administration and the EIU-UPI will work together to craft various ideas and suggestions into a package in which an acceptable successor agreement will be achieved.

“So far we have made good progress, and are significantly ahead of where we usually are at this time of the year,” the statement said. “We have tentatively resolved all of the non-economic issues raised by both teams, subject to final confirmation on language (and the ability to reach an agreement on issues with strong economic consequences, which we have not yet discussed).”

Both sides are scheduled to meet again to discuss issues relating to workload on May 24, with a session after that scheduled in June.

“Both sides remain optimistic about reaching a mutually–acceptable solution,” the statement said.

On the EIU-UPI’s negotiating team is Sterling, vice president of the EIU-UPI; English professor Lucinda Berry; Jeff Duck, an academic adviser from the Early Childhood/Elementary/Mid-Level Education department; biological sciences professor Billy Hung and business professor John Willems.

The administration’s negotiating team consists of associate vice president for academic affairs Jeff Cross; Calvert, the director of Employee and Labor Relations; Doug Bower, dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies; Shellie Gregorich, chair of the music department and Austin Cheney, chair of the technology department.

The News desk can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].