Valley View Board Committed To Working With Union After 'No' Vote On Tentative Agreement

BOLINGBROOK, IL — Valley View School District said it is committed to working collaboratively with Valley View Council Local 604, after the union voted no to ratifying a tentative contract agreement.

Eighty-six percent of union members voted, and 70.66 percent of them voted no that they would not accept the tentative agreement.

The District and the union have been negotiating since January and started working with a mediator in July. Last month, the council voted overwhelmingly to strike and began the process by filing their intent with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. The union had set a strike date of Sept. 18, before a tentative agreement was reached last month.

The union can call a strike again if needed, according to the Illinois Federation of Teachers.

The union will now begin surveying its members to understand their concerns about the tentative agreement and priorities going forward, according to a news release. They will also be reaching out to the Board to set a date to return to the bargaining table as soon as possible.

The District said that after union leadership shares results of its surveying, the Board and the Valley View Council Local 604 leadership will have further discussions.

"At this time, the Board has received no information to indicate that the Valley View Council Local 604 intends to go on strike imminently," the District said in a statement on Friday. "We are optimistic that, through open dialogue and mutual respect, we will arrive at an agreement that strengthens our schools and supports the success of all students and staff while being realistic about budgetary constraints and community expectations."

In a statement on Monday, the District said it was set to return to the negotiating table on Tuesday "with the goal of identifying actionable steps to support students, staff and families and avoid a potentially disruptive strike."

The District said in a release that the board made "extensive guarantees and concessions" to reach the tentative agreement; including dropping a proposal of 20 minutes added to high school teachers' work days.