Dist. 211 labor relations sticky in past

For the second time in just under two years, the teachers in Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 have come to the brink of a strike.

Just two years ago, teachers were holding out for a more lucrative deal; the district sought a more modest contract; the teachers filed an intent-to-strike but settled before any work stoppage occurred.

Similar negotiation tactics were also used in both situations.

But this time around, it's the teachers who put the ball in the administration's court. Two years ago, it was the other way around.

In November 2005, the school board approved a tentative contract first, before knowing what the teachers union response would be. Then they sent it to the union and waited for a response.

At the time, the union's response was "no," sending the two sides back to the bargaining table.

It took another month of talks to reach a deal that ultimately was nearly similar to what the school board had first approved.

What happened two years ago arguably set the stage for the impasse over teacher pay the district found itself in again this fall.

Some teachers have commented that they made concessions two years ago -- like higher insurance costs and no base-pay increase in this, the third year of the pact -- and now feel it's time for the district to concede a little more to them.

There are differences this time around, though.

In 2005, salary was not the main point of contention. Then, it was class sizes and health insurance costs.

Under the deal reached then, teachers moved into a cost-sharing plan that forced them to pay a significant increase for their insurance if they stayed with their PPO program.

However, three other cheaper PPO options and one HMO, which require higher co-pay amounts and higher deductibles, were also being offered.

As a way to deal with the teachers' class size concerns, a new committee was formed to ensure the proper number of students are in each class.