Teachers in District 209 have been on strike since Friday and are demanding better pay. The union is asking for an increase of 12.75 percent over 3 years.
The teachers strike is set to continue in the suburbs Tuesday. The biggest issue on the table is compensation.A teachers' strike is set to continue in the suburbs Tuesday, and the biggest issue on the table remains compensation."What we are doing now is for the future of our students," said Maggie Riley, the Proviso Teachers Union President.The union is asking for an increase of 12.75 percent over 3 years.
School Board President Rodney Alexander said in a statement Monday night that the district and union are still more than 1.34 million dollars apart. "The district remains firm in our position that salary increases at the level demanded by the union are neither sustainable, nor in the best fiscal interest of our parents and other local resident taxpayers."
Riley says they are also demanding smaller class sizes, adding that hitting the picket line was their last option, but now the district and superintendent seem to be taking them seriously. "We didn't want to go on strike, but we were left no other choice," said Riley. "So we would like him to continue to take bargaining seriously."Teachers will be hitting the picket lines at all three high schools Tuesday morning starting at 7:45 a.m.