Evergreen Park Teachers Edging Closer To Strike
EVERGREEN PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- Elementary School teachers in Evergreen Park are edging closer to walking off the job.
As WBBM Newsradio's Bernie Tafoya reports, more negotiations were held Wednesday night, but there was no settlement for District 124. The 135 teachers employed by the district have set Tuesday, Oct. 2, as the day they will go on strike if there is no contract.
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The teachers' union says it is concerned about an insurance proposal, unsure of the kinds of costs it would mean for its members.
Pay issues are also at the core of the teachers' grievances. The school board there is said to be offering pay raises based on inflation, with bonuses tied to student test scores.
Teachers want at least 3 percent raises each year, with no bonuses connected to test scores.
Meanwhile, the SouthtownStar reports the district is thinking about using the Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St., as an alternative spot for parents to take their children.
As recently as the middle of last month, district officials were saying progress toward a contract was going well. District 124 director of business services Dean Gerdes told the Chicago Reporter that tentative agreements had been hammered out.
The major remaining issues at that time, Gerdes told the Chicago Reporter, were demands of increases in compensation for aides who feed young children with disabilities and help them use the bathroom, and changes to "just-cause discipline," which allows teachers to dispute disciplinary action against them.
Last month, 80 percent of teachers in the district voted on a strike authorization, with only two voting against.
