Strike Date Set By District 228 Teacher's Union

MIDLOTHIAN, IL — Teachers and other union staff in Bremen Township High School District 228 have set a strike date of Monday, Jan. 27. The district's Joint Faculty Association said earlier this week that negotiations have been stalled, and them and the D228 board of education went more than a month without negotiating.

Both sides remain hopeful, however, that a strike could still be avoided.

"We are aware of the impact a strike will have on our families and students," District 228 wrote in a statement. "The board of education stands ready to do everything it can to avoid disruption to student lives."

The district said the two sides returned to the negotiating table on Tuesday in hopes of avoiding a strike. In a social media statement, they said "significant progress" was made and "the district is confident and hopeful an agreement will soon be reached that will benefit all District 228 stakeholders."

BHSD228-JFA President Greg Fitch said it's the “last thing any of us want," to be "pushed out of our classrooms and onto the picket line."

"We don't want to go on strike," he said. "That said, we are willing to fight for our students, our schools and our community... What we want is to reach a fair contract agreement that puts our students first.”

Specific details on the most recent offers from both the board and union can be found here on the district website. A major noticeable difference in the two sides is in the salary increase proposed for teachers hired after 2016. The board calls for a 3.6% increase in both the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years while the union's offer includes 7.09% and 6.94% respective raises for the same time frame.

A strike could impact more than 5,000 students at Bremen, Hillcrest, Oak Forest and Tinley Park high schools.

JFA members have been working without a contract since the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year on Aug. 1, and negotiations had been going on since December 2018.

The district says it will update families on a possible strike via email, social media channels and the district website.