Pat Barcas photo
Teachers from the Elementary Teachers’ Association of West Chicago walk the picket line Monday afternoon in West Chicago. As of press time, an agreement had not been reached with West Chicago Elementary School District 33.
By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013
WEST CHICAGO — The teachers walking the strike line at Main Street and Route 59 in West Chicago Monday morning were in good spirits, despite the chilly weather. They were there after 17 months of negotiations had broken down, and now the Elementary Teachers’ Association of West Chicago (ETAWC) members are on strike.
Still striking Tuesday, as of press time, the union was scheduled to enter talks Tuesday night with the West Chicago Elementary School District 33.
Negotiation sessions initially broke down Sunday night, with ETAWC saying the session ended at midnight with “School board negotiators leaving the district administration building without notifying the teacher negotiators or scheduling future meetings.”
ETAWC Chief Negotiator Mary Catherine Kosmach said in a statement that the union did not respond well to an ultimatum set Sunday.
“We made another proposal to the board, and they responded with an ultimatum. We were essentially told that they ‘might’ talk to us about insurance, but not unless we agreed to every item they’ve got on the table,” she said.
Kosmach’s group put in a request for further negotiating Feb. 4, and it was granted Feb. 5.
“They have accepted our request, we’re having another meeting, and we’re hoping for the best,” she said over the phone Feb. 5.
The district covers parts of Winfield and Wheaton as well as West Chicago, and serves close to 4,100 students in eight schools, from preschool to eighth grade, with 284 teachers employed.
The main sticking point of negotiations is health care and health insurance costs, with teachers previously agreeing to a salary freeze for one year to cover the costs.
ETAWC says the move would save the district more than two million dollars over a three year contract.
“Our proposal actually saves the district more money than the board’s current proposal, which hasn’t changed since last Friday,” said Kosmach in a statement on the group’s web site.
“Teachers understand that times are hard, and we’re willing to do our part,” she said. “It’s a question of how much cutting is reasonable, and what the board is demanding will ultimately be bad for students and this community.”
Kosmach said that teachers have been doing everything they can to avoid a strike, and have attempted to compromise on every one of the school board’s issues.
“Teachers want to be in front of their students tomorrow morning and not on a picket line,” she said. “But this school board pushed us.”
Pat Barcas’ e-mail address is pat@foxvalleylabornews.com.