Pingree Grove charter school appeals union victory

The state's largest teacher's union has scored an early victory in its effort to represent teachers at the Cambridge Lakes Charter School, but still could face a lengthy legal battle, labor officials said Tuesday.

A judge has ruled in favor of the Illinois Education Association's petition to form a union at the Pingree Grove school, according to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board.

Northern Kane Educational Corp., the organization that runs the charter school, has appealed the decision.

The head of the local branch of the Illinois Education Association said Tuesday she expects Northern Kane to exhaust its appeals - potentially delaying unionization for months.

"We're anticipating that we're going to go through the whole process," said Diane Petersen, UniServ director for Region 25. "Cambridge is going to fight us every step of the way."

It already has been six months since the Illinois Education Association initially filed a petition to represent teachers.

According to the union, Northern Kane fired at least one teacher and threatened to take action against others for their involvement in union efforts.

Northern Kane officials have denied those claims.

The resolution of a grievance filed on the teachers' behalf is pending the outcome of the representation issue, labor officials said.

"That's kind of on hold. We're waiting for the judgment to come through," Petersen said.

Northern Kane Executive Director Larry Fuhrer and Northern Kane Board member Sylvia Polletta did not return calls seeking comment Tuesday.

The Illinois Education Association, which represents teachers and support staff in Community Unit District 300, says a majority of teachers at the charter school want the union to represent them.

If the teacher's union has support from a majority of employees, the union can bypass an election, in which Northern Kane and school administrators would be able to campaign against unionization.

The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board could decide the appeal Nov. 13, board agent Eileen Brennan said. That decision then could be appealed to a state appellate court, she said.

The Illinois Education Association also is competing with the Teamsters to represent bus drivers in District 300. An election for the drivers is scheduled for today.