“After enduring months of unnecessary delays and a series
of public relations stunts by the school board, the Hinsdale High School
Teachers Association (HHSTA) has filed an unfair labor practice complaint with
the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board (IELRB).
“In the complaint, the teachers allege a series of bad
faith negotiation practices by the board’s representatives throughout the
summer negotiating sessions, including unfair practices that range from
intimidation and threats to delaying tactics and regressive bargaining. While
some of the board’s actions happened early in the summer, many of the most
serious actions occurred as recently as the Aug. 4 school board meeting. Specific
allegations include that the school board:
·
Used improper avenues for negotiation
·
Refused to provide financial and other
information
·
Engaged in regressive bargaining
·
Issued untrue and unfounded statements accusing
teachers of criminal behavior
·
Unfairly and unnecessarily delayed negotiations
“‘The conduct by the board majority represents a
violation of good faith negotiations process and tarnishes the district’s
tradition of excellence,’ said Teachers’ Association President John Bowman. ‘The
actions of this board show little or no respect for the process or our
teachers, and do not do justice to the district’s reputation for educational
excellence.’
“According to the complaint, board negotiators have
misled the public and issued overt threats to district teachers. ‘The
contentiousness of this bargaining is unprecedented in our history,’ Bowman
continued. ‘The board has refused to negotiate by even providing us with a complete
offer. We’ve been asking for a comprehensive offer for more than 9 months and
still haven’t gotten one from them.’
“The teachers’ lead negotiator, Jeff Waterman, said
teachers have been frustrated with the lack of tone of the talks. ‘Whatever we
propose does not seem to matter to the board,’ Waterman said. ‘The board does
not provide us information we ask for and constantly seeks to undermine our
negotiating team. The totality of their conduct has demonstrated bad faith
negotiations and an inability to make reasonable compromises.’
“A decision from the IELRB is not expected for several
months. The teachers have scheduled a mediation session with the board’s
negotiation team on Sept. 8. No other negotiation dates have been set.”
from Fred Klonsky’s Blog
Another transparent government brought to you by Illinois..
ReplyDeleteHinsdale 86 gives ten-day strike notification
ReplyDeleteOctober 3rd:
“The teachers’ association today filed paperwork required by SB7. According to the law, this filing initiates a 10-day timeframe that precedes any job action by the teachers.
“‘The board continues to push the teachers to strike,’ said Jeff Waterman, chief negotiator for the teachers’ association. ‘Their offer hasn’t changed – it’s still as extreme and uncompetitive as it was in August. The teachers offered another compromise on Thursday – a fully-funded, two-year contract – that maintains the excellence of our schools and provides a two-year window to build bridges instead of battling in the press.’
“‘We have accepted many of their proposals on healthcare, retirement and language. We’ve made significant compromises on the financials. The teachers, again, made an offer that is reasonable. The board did not offer a counter-proposal,’ Waterman said.”
Source: Fred Klonsky’s Blog