Board encouraged by Dixon teachers' new offer
Union modifies financials, some language, president says
Comments (...)DIXON – In a negotiation session that lasted almost 3 hours Thursday night, the teachers union gave a counter offer to the school board.
The new union proposal made modifications on “financials and some language,” Dixon Education Association President Sandi Sodergren-Baar said.
She did not want to get into specifics, until the Dixon School Board revised its offer.
She said the board promised the union “something back” on Monday, when the two sides meet again, just one day before teachers potentially can call a strike. Teachers have been working without a contract since August.
Superintendent Michael Juenger said board members will review the union’s offer.
“This is encouraging,” Juenger said. “It was good for us to meet [Thursday].”
Sodergren-Baar echoed Juenger’s sentiment, although “I was a little disappointed the board didn’t have something,” she said. “We gave them our next counter-proposal in order to keep bargaining in good faith.”
In its previous offer, the union is proposing more staff and 4 percent more than their previous year’s salary, while the school board is asking teachers to take at least a 2-year pay freeze and pay more in health insurance.
Both offers are posted at www2.illinois.gov/elrb/Pages/default.aspx, the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board website.
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Personally, I don't think the union should have made a modified offer until the board came back with something first. It appears the board is just standing still until the teachers come to their side instead of meeting in the middle. I know that the teachers don't want to strike, but if they need to in order to get a good deal, I am 100% behind it. If you have kids in Dixon schools, I know you got the same email I did. If you don't want the schools to close and cause a day care nightmare for you, then put pressure on the board to actually negotiate and not make the teachers come to their side. |
