COOK COUNTY, IL — The Forest Preserves of Cook County said Monday its preserves will remain open and operational during a strike involving members of Teamsters Local 700, the latest development in a labor dispute involving nearly 200 workers.
The district said trails, picnic groves, nature centers, campgrounds, golf courses, fishing lakes and other amenities will remain available to the public, although operational changes could occur during the labor action.
The announcement follows Patch's Aug. 3 report that Local 700 members overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike after rejecting the district's contract offer. At the time, the vote gave union leaders authority to call a walkout, but a strike date had not yet been announced.
Local 700 represents truck drivers, laborers, mechanics and other employees who perform work including road clearing, vehicle maintenance, trash collection, bathroom cleaning and prescribed burns throughout the preserve system.
In a statement Monday, the Forest Preserves said it has sought to avoid a strike and outlined a contract proposal that it said would provide Local 700 members with a total of 8 percent in raises over two years, along with one-time payments and other changes.
General Superintendent Adam Bianchi said the district values the employees while also facing financial limitations.
"All the employees of the Forest Preserves are critical to our success, and that certainly is the case for the members of Local 700," Bianchi said. "We recognize and appreciate the work they do every day all year long to keep the Preserves a place that is a gem in Cook County."
Bianchi said the district believes its proposal provides compensation "at and above what is competitive in the labor market" and that officials remain confident an agreement can be reached.
The Forest Preserves said its original two-year extension proposal included a 2 percent raise in January 2026, another 2 percent raise in July and a 4 percent increase in July 2027, along with a $2,500 one-time payment for full-time employees.
More recently, the district said it added a paid lunch period, broader overtime eligibility and a $1,250 one-time payment for seasonal employees.
According to the Forest Preserves, six unions have already accepted the same or similar terms as the original proposal.
Local 700 has presented a different view of the negotiations.
As Patch previously reported, the union has argued that its members advance through the Forest Preserves' wage scale significantly more slowly than nonunion employees. The union said nonunion employees receive step increases of about 5 percent while affected union workers receive increases of roughly one-half of 1 percent.
Workers have also sought changes involving overtime compensation when employees work more than five consecutive days, according to Teamsters for a Democratic Union.
Local 700 President Ramon Williams previously said members believed the district's pay structure did not reflect the value of their work.
"Our members voted to authorize a strike because they are done being told to wait their turn for a raise that never comes," Williams said following the strike-authorization vote.
The Forest Preserves said Monday that Local 700 members have received six raises and three one-time payments during the past five years.
Under its latest proposal, the district said the starting salary for Local 700 employees would have increased by one-third since June 2021. It cited a laborer hired in June 2021 whose salary would rise from $47,278 to $65,045, along with $6,500 in one-time payments during that period.
The Forest Preserves said any operational changes during the strike will prioritize public health and safety, ecological protection and minimizing disruption to visitors.
The district said it will not lock out employees and that Local 700 members are not prohibited from reporting to work during the strike.
Visitors are being encouraged to check the Forest Preserves website for updates on events, trail access and conditions at individual locations.
The dispute potentially affects a system encompassing more than 70,000 acres across Cook County, including hundreds of miles of trails, nearly 300 picnic groves and dozens of lakes and ponds.
The Forest Preserves said its ability to absorb additional labor costs is limited because increased revenue would have to come through higher public fees, service or restoration reductions, or a property-tax referendum.
Negotiations between the Forest Preserves and Local 700 remain unresolved.
RELATED: Cook County Forest Preserve Workers Authorize Strike
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