Schools
LFHS Teachers Issue Strike Notice for Sept. 12
If no bargain is reached with Board before then, the teachers said they would walk off the job.
teachers will stop working at 12.01 a.m. Sept. 12 , according to a statement today by Lake Forest Education Association teachers’ union (LFEA) spokesperson Chuck Gress.
The union issued a Notice of Intent to Strike to the Board at 4 p.m. today after Thursday’s mediation session failed to produce a deal and the LFEA found the District’s last and final offer under the collective bargaining process unsatisfactory.
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“This is a difficult decision as we have always put the school community and its students first in our minds and our hearts,” Gress said in a statement. “Since there was no movement by the Board at last night’s negotiation session, the LFEA feels it has no choice but to take the next step in the collective bargaining process.”
The Board was not surprised by the action and is preparing for a possible work stoppage. It is also willing to meet again but says the union has not agreed to further talks.
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“The Board remains steadfast in its efforts to provide fair compensation that’s reflective of today’s economic realities,” it said in a statement. “If needed, the Board has prepared a Strike Plan to address any potential work stoppage.”
After the teachers began last year without a contract, . The two sides met with a federal mediator over the summer and the union declared an impasse August 10.
The Board and the union were required to make their final offers to each other public today and those documents can be seen on the Illinois Labor Relations Board website. Patch will have a more detailed story Monday after it has the opportunity to review the documents closely and speak to representatives of the union and Board.
No further negotiation sessions are scheduled, according to Gress.
Patch learned of the teachers notice at 5:15 p.m. today and had not received a response from the Board by 6:15 p.m. We will update our readers when we do.
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