Champaign- The University of Illinois will force 11,000 employees to take furlough days this spring in an effort to manage a massive budget shortfall. But one group of workers says the unpaid days shouldn't apply to them. Those workers on the U of I campus working with short-term contracts are called visiting academic professionals. Now the union representing those workers has filed an unfair labor practice complaint this week saying the mandatory furlough days violate their contracts.

"I was really upset, I was confused, I didn't understand why," Vaughn Page.

As a visiting academic professional, Page never expected to take a furlough day.

"As visiting we have terminology, we have language in our contract that does not allow for furlough days," he says.

But now that's all changed.

"All of a sudden we were told that yes the visiting academic professionals would also have to take furloughs," says Alan Bilansky, chief negotiator for the Association of Academic Professionals.

More than 300 visiting academic professionals work on campus, working with short-term contracts.

"They're on the shakiest ground because you might work for another year you might not, so they should get a square deal while they're here," says Bilansky.

The union representing those workers has filed an unfair labor practice complaint alleging the university violated state labor laws by imposing the unpaid days.

"We were in the middle of contract negotiations with the university and there's not supposed to be any change to our contract when we're in negotiation and yet by requiring us to take furlough days and restricting our work output that's a change in the contract there," says Page.

"They have on interpretation of the law and we have another one, we have the right one," says Bilansky.

For now union members will cooperate with the furloughs and Page already has his first day scheduled.

"A week from today," he says.

Robin Kaler with the U of I issued this statement. She says the university made it clear from the beginning that union members would have to take furlough days and that until Thursday, the university had not received any feedback from the union. The Association of Academic Professionals union is scheduled to continue negotiations with the university February 10, 18 and 22.

Reported by Kate Springer.Union Objects To Furloughs