District 211 Teachers Could Strike If New Deal Isn't Reached

PALATINE, IL — Around 1,100 teachers for Township High School District 211 could strike if the union and the state's largest high school district can't reach a deal. The teachers have been working without a contract since July 1, and neither side is close to an agreement despite 16 negotiation sessions, including some with a federal mediator, according to Journal & Topics Media.

Teachers will be participating in informational picketing from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 26, to Wednesday, Nov. 28, at the district's administration building, 1750 S. Roselle Road, Palatine. A public community meeting to discuss the union's contract demands also will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29, at Palatine High School, 1111 N. Rohlwing Road.

Union members approved a strike a couple weeks ago John Braglia, the union's president, told Journal & Topics. The earliest teachers would go walk out would be Dec. 13.

Although he wouldn't go over all the contract demands, Braglia said teachers are looking for a 2 percent base salary hike. The district only has offered a 1 percent increase, he added.

The last negotiation session between the union and the district was Nov. 15, Braglia said. Any new contract would be for four years and retroactive to July, although Braglia said a five-year deal could be possible.

Even without a new agreement, teachers are still receiving the pay and benefits outlined under the previous deal, the report stated. About 340 support staffers in the district also are working without a contract, the report added.

“The board’s negotiating team has consistently and arbitrarily changed the parameters and their focus, thus exhibiting little interest to move talks forward towards a fair and equitable agreement,” Braglia told Journal & Topics. “The board’s seeming unwillingness to put people and programs before bricks and mortar suggests a blatant disregard towards the faculty and expose lack of commitment to the community.”

District officials contend they're putting students' needs first when it comes to negotiating a new contract, according to a statement by the school board.

"The board’s primary responsibility is to ensure that the district sustains its educational quality for students,” the statement said. “To accomplish this, the board has offered the union a generous proposal regarding salary compensation, health insurance, and retirement benefits that fits within the district’s long-term financial plan to operate debt-free while also delivering quality educational programming.”

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Image via Township High School District 211