D228 Teachers Union Authorizes Strike

MIDLOTHIAN, IL — Members of the Bremen High School District 228 Joint Faculty Association have voted to authorize a teacher's strike. Votes tallied by the 300+ members of the union Thursday night indicated an "overwhelming" majority to be in favor of authorizing the strike, according to a news release from the Illinois Education Association.

“This is about our students. I think parents would be alarmed to know that recently course sections have been cut and class sizes have been increased, severely harming the students we serve,” D228-JFA President Greg Fitch said. “Meanwhile, D228 has the most administrators per student population in the region. It’s clear the Board is not focusing on what’s best for long term student learning, and we’re willing to fight to change the focus.”

The union points to two major issues that have come up at the bargaining table: competitive compensation and health insurance, they say. They've been working without a contract since the beginning of August and have been negotiating with the board of education since December.

“We’ve been negotiating for 10 months,” Fitch said. “We have the 13th lowest base salary of the 15 districts in the area. We are in the middle of a statewide teacher shortage that is reaching crisis levels. The district needs to be competitive. It’s what’s best for our students and our community.”

The next mediation session between the D228-JFA and the board of education is set for Wednesday, Oct. 9 at Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills.