Schools

District 155 Teachers Vote in Favor of Strike

The District 155 teachers association on Sunday, Nov. 3, overwhelmingly approved a strike authorization vote.

An overwhelming majority of the District 155 teachers association has approved a strike authorization vote.

Justin Hubly, president of the District 155 Education Association, said the 440 members of the teachers association on Sunday, Nov. 3, voted in favor of the strike authorization.

In fact, 99.4% of the members approved the measure, he said. 

The strike authorization allows the negotiating team to call a strike - if necessary - once the requirements of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act are met. 

“We are terribly disappointed that we were forced to take this vote,” Hubly said.

The teachers have been working without a contract since July 1, 2013 when the last collective bargaining agreement between the Association and Community High School District 155 expired. 
 
Negotiations between the teachers association and the Board of Education have been ongoing since March, without the parties being able to reach an agreement. Negotiations have proceeded with the assistance of a federal mediator since October, Hubly stated in a news release issued Wednesday morning. 

Hubly said this is the first time in the association's nearly-40-year history that the District 155 Education Association held a strike authorization vote.

“I never thought we would see a strike authorization vote in District 155, but the overwhelming support of the membership shows how unfairly we are being treated by the Board of Education,” Hubly said.  

In an effort to avoid a strike, the teachers association offered binding arbitration as an option to the Board of Education in order to reach an agreement.

 “Nobody wants a strike. We hope the Board of Education accepts our arbitration offer. By entering binding arbitration, the strike option comes off the table,” said Curt Wadlington, Association Negotiations Committee Chairperson.

While waiting for the board’s response regarding binding arbitration, the association is preparing its impasse offer, which will become public upon being submitted to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board (IELRB).

 “We look forward to having our final offer published so that we can comment publicly on negotiations,” Hubly said.

It is expected that final offers will be published by IELRB by the end of the month.  Members of the Association plan to hold an informational picket from 6 to 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 19, prior to the Board of Education meeting at 1 S. Virginia Rd. in Crystal Lake.

“We sincerely hope this is the last picket line we will walk,” said Hubly. “We have a long history of bargaining fair contracts. We have a vested interest in bargaining fair contracts in order for the district to continue providing the highest quality education for our students.” 

The District 155 Education Association's members represent certified staff at Cary-Grove, Crystal Lake Central, Crystal Lake South and Prairie Ridge high schools, as well as certified staff members at the District’s alternative education program at Haber Oaks Campus.

The District 155 Education Association is affiliated with the Illinois Education Association and the National Education Association. 

More information is available on the District 155 Education Association website. 

UPDATE: 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6
District 155 Communications Director Jeff Puma issued the following response to the teachers' strike authorization vote:

"The District 155 board and administration are committed to negotiating a fair contract," Puma said. "We remain at the table with the union, and hope that we can come to an agreement without the need for a strike. We believe in the negotiation process, and are optimistic that it will yield a contract that allows us to maintain the level of student programs that our community has come to expect."


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