West Chicago teachers hold informational picket over contract dispute
West Chicago High School teachers marched outside district offices Tuesday night to rally behind union negotiators who are growing frustrated with the slow progress in contract talks after nearly two years at the bargaining table with the school board.
Teachers staged an informational picket along Washington Street while the two sides met with a federal mediator for the first of four scheduled sessions this month.
About two dozen educators gathered for the demonstration, carrying signs demanding a fair contract and presenting a united front.
"We're all in this together," Lizbeth Schomig, a special-education teacher. "We're working for a fair contract so that the district can maintain and enhance the quality of the school and the education of our students."
The board and the West Chicago High School Teachers Association - the union that represents 141 district employees - started preliminary discussions in April 2016 and have been exchanging proposals since last April.
But negotiations have stalled over teacher salaries, health benefits, the length of a pact and other sticking points.
"We want to make sure that the board understands our determination to achieve a fair and responsible contract, a contract that will not only retain high-quality teachers over the long term but also maintain the quality of the school through the retention and hiring of high-quality teachers now and into the future," union President Brad Larson said in advance of the picket.
Teachers say they want to avoid a strike, but Larson said last week association leaders are not ruling it out as a "last resort," either.
"Nobody wants to strike. It's not good for the kids," said Candace Fikis, a social studies teacher. "It's not good for anybody, so we're optimistic, and we're here. We're continuing to show the support of the negotiation team."
The school board was expected to respond to the union's most-recent offer with a full contract proposal of its own during the session Tuesday.
The union's latest proposal calls for a five-year contract; the school board has been pushing for a three-year deal. The board also has presented "a conceptual model" to address the rising cost of health insurance. It calls for bringing in an outside consultant to review the district's health insurance coverage and recommend changes that could be used to lower the cost of premiums.
Teachers have been working under the terms of their old contract since it expired Aug. 13. Additional meetings with the mediator are scheduled for Jan. 16, 22 and 30.