District 15 Support Staffers OK Possible Strike

PALATINE, IL — The union for educational support staff for Community Consolidated School District 15 have voted to authorize a strike, according to the group. Workers represented by the 435-member Educational Support Personnel Association, which includes secretaries, nurses, sign language interpreters and other clerical staffers, could go on strike as early as Oct. 16 if a new contract isn't reached by then.

The district's collectively bargained, four-year contract with support workers expired June 30, but both sides have been trying to hammer out a new deal since February. In June, a federal mediator was brought in after the union and the district remained apart in key areas of a potential agreement, such as salary, benefits and leave, according to the district.

Despite the approval to go on strike, the union says it's still dedicated to working out a new contract without a work stoppage. Mediation sessions already are scheduled for Oct. 11, Oct. 18 and Oct. 23. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest Palatine news. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

"Our membership is fully behind us. It’s time to get this contract done," Julie Simpson, a union negotiator and secretary at Hunting Ridge Elementary School, said in a statement.

According to the Daily Herald, the union's current proposal is for a five-year contract that would give most staffers an average 3 percent pay hike in the first year and additional 3 percent increases in future years. The district's deal would distribute a 6 percent raise over four years, and more money would be allotted for different professions, such as nurses and secretaries.

Image via Community Consolidated School District 15

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