Teachers' Strike Still Looming In Lake Forest
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (CBS) -- A teachers' strike continues to loom in the affluent North Shore town of Lake Forest.
As WBBM Newsradio's Lisa Fielding reports, a Lake Forest teachers' union representative said no progress was made after two hours of negotiations. The session Thursday was the first since the union – the Lake Forest Education Association – issued a formal notice of intent to strike on Aug. 24.
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The union says it will walk off the job at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday if an agreement is not reached.
Officials at Lake Forest High School District 114 say they hope a strike can be averted. But if one goes ahead, school doors remain open for students.
The union represents 152 teachers. The two sides are at odds over salary, insurance and pay scales for new teachers.
If a strike goes head, it will begin exactly 48 hours after Chicago Public Schools teachers are proposing to strike.
Teachers represented by the Chicago Teachers Union took a strike authorization vote back in June, and will walk out at 12:01 a.m. Monday if no agreement is reached with Chicago Public Schools officials.
Currently, sources tell CBS 2, the district is offering its teachers an 8 percent raise over four years and wants to form a committee to create a new pay system.
Teachers are also expressing concerns with teacher recall, feeling that if schools consolidate and close as planned for the year to come, veteran teachers could lose their jobs. Those teachers want a guarantee that they are the first hired back.
A strike could also be coming for teachers in Evergreen Park, where eachers and staff at School District 124 in Evergreen Park voted overwhelmingly to authorize a walkout.
