Hinsdale Teachers Take Step Toward Possible Strike

Hinsdale teachers started the clock on a 28-day period that could lead to a strike by initiating the public posting process Tuesday evening.

The school board has emphasized that school courses, sports and activities won’t be interrupted, and that District 86 has a contingency plan for continued school if a strike happens.

The public posting process requires both parties in the negotiation — the Hinsdale High School Teachers Association and the Hinsdale District 86 board of education — to submit their most recent offers with a cost summary of the offer, according to a statement released Tuesday night by the board.

The teachers association sent its latest offer to the District 86 board earlier this week. The board has seven days from Tuesday, the date of the public posting process, to submit its own offer.

Jeff Waterman, chief negotiator for the teachers, said in news release that the association has been asking for months for the District 86 board’s complete proposal.

“The board has made minuscule changes, superficial adjustments and incomplete proposals since last September, while we have been making significant concessions to try and meet their extreme demands,” Waterman said in the statement.

Board President Richard Skoda said in the board’s own release that it had announced it was “seriously weighing the Union’s proposal.” Skoda said the board intended to meet with the association’s leaders to discuss numbers.

If negotiations continue seven days after both parties submit offers, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board posts the offers to its website. After the posting, teachers have to wait 14 days to strike.

The teachers’ association filed an unfair labor practice complaint last week with the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board alleging bad faith negotiation practices.

The Hinsdale High School Teachers Association represents 377 teachers, librarians, social workers and counselors at Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South high schools.