Teachers say decision to strike never easy

If teachers do walk out at Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 schools, it's not going to be easy.

Those who have walked the picket lines in the past say there are mixed emotions when it comes time to strike.

Teachers in District 211 decided late Wednesday to postpone the strike that was planned for today. But they could still strike if they can't come to terms with the district.

Retired teacher William Voves walked out during a 1998 strike at Glenbard High School District 87 and said it was a difficult decision.

"No one gets into teaching for the money. It's more of a calling," said Voves, who was a business teacher at Glenbard South.

But the one-week strike in that district was worth it, he said.

"We just really felt like it was time to show our muscle and to do the things we thought were right for ourselves and for our family," said Voves.

In 2003, teachers in Woodland District 50 in the Gurnee area went on strike for 11 days.

Michael McGue, president of Lake County Federation of Teachers Local 504, was a negotiator for teachers at the time.

"When it comes to the point of a strike, it's difficult," he said. "You're dealing with the lives of students as well as the lives of all their parents and you know it will cause a mini-crisis in the community."

McGue says there's often a perception that a strike is a desirable thing.

"It's always done with a heavy heart," he said. "It will be potentially divisive for the future of the community and takes a lot of healing."

In 2002, there was a four-day strike at Community High School District 99 in Downers Grove.

Teacher Melissa Dillworth, a special education instructor, said walking out wasn't a tough decision because it was the right thing to do.

"The hard part was seeing it play out in the media and seeing a misrepresentation of our pay scale," she said. "The whole community gets this idea that the teachers are paid really well, when it's not always true."

Dillworth says there was definitely a healing process between the teaching and administrative staffs afterward.

"I think time has helped to some extent with healing," she said. "We had to take measures to try and rebuild relationships."