Valley View Council Votes No On Tentative Agreement, Will Return To Bargaining

ROMEOVILLE, IL – Valley View Council Local 604 members voted "no" when a ratification vote was held this week to determine whether they would accept a tentative agreement that was reached last month between the union's bargaining team and the Board of Education, according to a news release from the Illinois Federation of Teachers.

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

“While the tentative agreement addressed many key concerns, it ultimately did not meet the full expectations of our membership," Valley View Council President Jared Ploger said in a release. "We respect that decision and remain committed to negotiating a contract that reflects the needs of all."

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 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.

“This is part of the process of representing your members’ voices and ensuring that student and staff needs are met,” Ploger said in a release. “We hope that we can quickly address any remaining issues at the table and wrap this up soon.”