
Employees who walked the picket line outside of the district's 10 schools and its administrative office from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. waved at drivers who honked their horns in support. Meanwhile, union leaders said they were shocked that administrators have made no effort to communicate with them.
Under the union's expired contract, a first-year teacher with a bachelor's degree earned $36,102. The average salary is about $58,000 while the highest paid teacher at the school district earned $64,471 for the 2006-07 school year.
School Board President Rich Sauget Jr. said Monday that administrators didn't want to see a strike. But while union members have pointed to a $2.2 million increase in state funding in 2007, he said revenue beyond this year is uncertain, so the district felt it had to hold their line. "I think we have been able to work well with the union in the past, and I know they are trying to do what is best for their folks," Sauget said. "We just have a difference of opinion. There is no way the board is going to sacrifice the long-term viability of the district."
"We didn't even get the courtesy of a call to say they were shutting down the school," said Brent Murphy, president of the Cahokia Federation of Teachers. "They're not talking to us at all at this point, which makes us wonder what their strategy is. It sure seems like they wanted this (strike) to happen." Murphy said he doesn't understand Sauget's reasoning because the last offer on the table was a one-year contract proposal that wouldn't force the district to commit financially beyond the 2007-08 school year.
But Sauget said if the board approves a one-year deal and revenue decreases next year, all that will have been accomplished is putting the labor strife off for one year.
"The question is, do they want to eat all their cookies today and have none left for tomorrow?" Sauget asked. "The last three hours at the last bargaining meeting were spent discussing: If this is what they want this year, what are they going to want next year?"
He said a decrease in revenue would lead to more pay freezes or possibly even cuts, something union members would be opposed to.
Murphy said he is upset with administrators' claims that the union didn't care about the district's $5.3 million debt. He said union leaders have taken pay freezes and smaller raises over the last seven years to help administrators pay off the debt and that they paid triple what they had planned last year, or about $1.6 million.
"Now times are better and we think the extra money they are getting should be shared with workers," Murphy said. "After taking less for all those years, I wonder if they perceive it as us trying to help or as weakness."
Union members rejected contract proposals from District 187 administrators Aug. 30 and Wednesday, with 94 percent voting against the first deal and 97 percent against the second. On Sept. 10, the school board unanimously rejected a contract proposal from the union. Board members also refused to approve a last-minute offer from the union before midnight Sunday that workers said was the last chance to avoid a strike.
This is District 187's first strike in 32 years. The previous one lasted for 18 days.
The Cahokia Federation of Teachers has about 520 members made up of educators, secretaries and service workers. District 187 has 4,266 students.
(bnd.com)