Chief Judge: Employees On Strike Must Return To Work By Tuesday

KANE COUNTY, IL – The 118 youth counselors and probation officers on strike could be without a job if they do not return to work Tuesday. Chief Judge (Susan) Clancy Boles has ruled the county can hire new employees if they do not comply and get back to providing, what county officials say, are necessary resources, according to the Daily Herald. Lawyers for Teamsters 330, the union representing those on strike, say hiring permanent replacements for the striking employees could be illegal.

"I think she should be focusing her concentration on resolving her strike by reinstating the current employees that are on strike as opposed to considering hiring of new employees that have absolutely no experience," Dominic Romanazzi, Local 330 president, said Monday.

The employees went on strike on April 30 after rejecting a contract offer by the county. The union requested a 15-stage step increase schedule that would include a 3.7 percent raise increase over 15 years.

It's the first strike in 10 years in Kane County, Lisa Aust, executive director for the Kane County Court Services, told the Daily Herald in an earlier article.

With the strike underway, the county shifted its limited resources with the hopes of maintaining services for juveniles being detained while they await trial and prioritizing cases, including those of people on probation who may need immediate action, like a drug test, the Daily Herald reported in recent weeks.

Safety concerns lie behind Chief Judge (Susan) Clancy Boles' decision to hire new employees if the 118 on strike do not return to work on Tuesday, according to the Daily Herald.

More via the Daily Herald

• Kane Co. Probation Officers, Counselors Go On Strike

Photo caption: Kane County Judicial Center/Photo credit: GoogleMaps