Plainfield Teachers 'Want To Be In School For Our Students, Not Out On The Picket Line': Union

PLAINFIELD, IL — A week after teachers voted to authorize a strike that could start as soon as Halloween, the Association of Plainfield Teachers says it hopes to avoid the picket line. APT President Dawn Bullock said union reps and district officials met Thursday during a bargaining session and have made some progress in ironing out a new contract. Teachers have been working without a contract since August, and negotiations have dragged on since last November.

Bullock said more meetings are slated for Tuesday and Wednesday this week as the two sides work to reach an agreement.

"We are willing to continue meeting as long or late as necessary, even after we are loaded with sugar on Halloween, to prevent a strike from occurring," Bullock said in an email to Patch. "We want to be in school for our students; not out on the picket line."

The district's last offer to the union, made on Oct. 11, was a five-year pact with an average salary increase of 5.2 percent in the first year, 3.2 percent in the second year and 2.7 percent in the third year, according to documents filed by the district with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. The full proposal can be viewed here.

"We met and looked at our numbers to see where we are and what's causing us to be apart on some years," Bullock said Friday. " We feel we are fairly close on year one and need to work on years 2-5."

District 202 Director of Community Relations Tom Hernandez said "progress continues to be made toward an agreement" following the Oct. 19 bargaining session. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Meanwhile, the school board's regular meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the District 202 Administrative Center, 15723 Howard St.

More from Patch:

Plainfield Teachers Strike Could Start On Halloween
Teachers Reject District 202 Contract, Dispute 4 Percent Raise Claims
Potential Teachers Strike 'Unsettling,' District 202 Board President Says

Patch file photo