Teachers In West Chicago, Grayslake Nearing Strike
Two Local School Districts On Verge Of Strike
(CBS) -- Two local school districts are facing possible teachers' strikes, and one could come as soon as Wednesday.
WBBM Newsradio's Dave Berner reports teachers in Grayslake Community Consolidated School District 46 have set a strike deadline for Wednesday morning.
The teachers and district administrators were meeting with a mediator on Tuesday in an effort to reach an agreement to avoid a walkout.
A spokesperson for the teachers union confirmed if no settlement is reached Tuesday night, teachers would be on the picket line Wednesday morning.
A strike would affect students in eight schools in Grayslake and other nearby suburbs. There are 327 teachers in District 46.
Michael McGue, president of the Lake County Federation of Teachers Local 504, said things do not look good.
"There seems to be a faction of this school board that's a Tea Party faction, that's very anti-tax, came into power over the last couple of years, and they basically want to pick a fight," McGue said.
He said current teacher salaries are unfair, but school administrators have said they're simply trying to keep costs down.
Meantime, there's also threat of a strike in West Chicago, where elementary teachers in West Chicago Elementary School District 33 have been negotiating with the school board.
Both sides said a strike could come at any time.
