Teachers’ union, school district offer views of contract negotiations
Editor’s note: Members of the Rockford teachers’ union — the Rockford Education Association (REA) — and the Rockford Public School District 205 negotiating team met for four hours Sunday, March 25. What follows are two press releases — one supplied by the REA and the other by District 205. They are presented in the order in which they were received.
The REA filed its intent to strike notice with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board March 12. The move paved the way for a legal strike to occur at any time after a 10-day waiting period. The REA will meet Monday, March 26, to discuss its course of action. The union has already rejected the district’s only contract offer.
The Rockford Board of Education meets at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 27.
REA press release
March 25, 2012, 4:30 p.m.
The bargaining teams for the REA and RPS met for four hours today at the request of the federal mediator, Randy Larson. After a fruitful discussion of the outstanding issues, the board team told the REA that they could not finalize anything today because they didn’t have the authority to settle the contract.
Karen Bieschke, president ofthe REA, said: “This is outrageous. We have been bargaining for 11 months with over 60 negotiations sessions. With the education of over 28,000 students hanging in the balance — the REA was prepared to get this done today. We did our homework and came prepared. Why didn’t Superintendent Willis and his team do the same‘?”
REA members will meet tomorrow, Monday, March 26, 2012, to decide their course of action. Instead of being presented with a tentative agreement, they will consider the board’s last official offer — the one publicly published and already rejected overwhelmingly by the REA membership.
District 205 press release
March 25, 9:55 p.m.
ROCKFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS DISTRICT AND REA TAKE MAJOR STEP FORWARD IN BARGAINING PROCESS
Today, the district’s negotiating team met with the REA’s negotiating team for four hours to work toward a new agreement. The district remains confident that an agreement can be reached and a strike may be prevented.
Although the REA presented an oral hypothetical scenario to the district’s bargaining team, the REA chose not to submit a formal revised proposal.
After more than 10 months of bargaining and about 50 bargaining sessions, some of the scenarios from the REA’s negotiating team were received for the first time today. The district needs to conduct an economic analysis before it is able to respond in full.
In a show of good faith, the district’s bargaining team agreed to present today’s hypothetical scenario from the REA to the school board for its consideration at its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, March 27.
Further details will be posted at www.205teachernegotiations.com as they become available.
Posted March 26, 2012
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5 Comments
This isn’t a train wreck. This is some bizarre cross between the Titanic and the Hindenberg.
I’m sorry, this is a serious subject. But this would be high comedy if it weren’t for the outcome.
Mr. Wilson, I am a junior at Auburn Highschool and I am affronted by what you are saying. This is NOT a comedy. This is quite a serious subject. in a way, it is a train wreck. Many of the teachers have trouble affording to come to school. The Board is a threat to our education. They pretend to care so much for our education but they won’t even consider resolving the dispute between them and the teachers union. The teachers are the glue that holds our schools together. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to go to school. So, keep your comments to yourself. You are being rude to the students, and the teachers. This is not a bizarre cross between the Titanic and the Hindenburg. People died in those. They weren’t things that could have been prevented from happening. The dispute is and it can be resolved before it’s too late. I am Ali Holmquist, and I represent the student body at Auburn.
In the many years that I have lived here, it has always been the teachers who spoke out for the children. We have had repeated administrations that only worried about their private agendas and promoted ideas that continue to divide our city and hurt the children. Educators in our community have been the glue through these administrations, the lawsuit and the school boards.
You go, Ali-girl! Thanks for your words of encouragement. You know we care about and love our students – the last thing we want is for you to suffer. Glad to hear from you. Keep up your studies!
I feel that both sides have their own agendas and to paint the teachers as completely selfless is foolish and naive, remember they rely on the taxpayers for their salary and benefits, so they are striking against the taxpayers as well as the the district. Both sides of the argument have merit and we should educate ourselves and strive to understand the issues.