Teachers Union Rejects Latest Offer From D124

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — The Evergreen Park teacher's union has turned down the latest contract offer from the school district. The vote against the offer was "overwhelming," according to the Evergreen Park Federation of Teachers Local 943. The EP Podcast reported some 86 percent voted no on it.

"Hopefully, this will lead to restarting negotiations to ensure that the teachers receive salaries that are not below the state average, as well as bargaining for livable wages for our fabulous support staff," the Federation said in a statement.

According to District 124 officials, the rejected offer included an average raise of 11 percent over three years for teachers in the district. The offer was for three years and would have ensured that all certified district staff members would see a larger raise than they had in the last contract, nearly all would see a 10 percent raise over the next three ears and 70 percent of certified staff members would see a raise of more than 11 percent in that time frame, among other items the district bullet pointed in a news release found here.

“Both the Union and the Board are very interested in resuming talks with the federal mediator,” District 124 Superintendent Dr. Robert Machak said. “And that is an encouraging sign. I have already reached out to Union leadership on behalf of the Board of Education in an effort to resume negotiations as early as the end of this week.”

“The Board of Education suggested several different scenarios and formulas throughout the bargaining process to provide additional compensation for teachers on the bachelor’s and master’s degree tracks,” Machak said. “This offer included a competitive starting salary to teaching candidates to attract them to D124, and a competitive wage for paraprofessional staff to compete with the starting salaries for such employees in other school districts and industries."

The union did not vote to strike Monday night, but the D124 statement indicates that the rejection included a strike authorization vote. The board of education has not been told that a strike is imminent, however.