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CBS News
7 minutes ago
- Business
- CBS News
Naperville, Illinois teachers rally at school board meeting as strike looms
Students in Naperville went back to school last week, but teachers in Naperville Community Unit School District 203 are threatening to strike if they do not get a new contract. They have been without a contract since June. Teachers' pay is one of the main sticking points of the negotiations, which have been ongoing since February. The union said the last thing they want to do is strike, while the school board said their current contract offer is more than fair. Just as storm clouds rolled in on Monday, the teachers' union in Naperville railed for what it called a fair contract before the District 203 school board meeting that evening. "You are the best educators I know," Ross Berkley, president of The Naperville Unit Education Association (NUEA), told membership at the rally. "You deserve a fair contract, and that's what we are going to do!" The union said negotiations center around changes to the school day schedule, and what they say are lower teacher salaries than neighboring districts. "They've got to move the needle," Berkley said. Berkley said the district can afford to meet the union's requests. "They have to start telling the truth," Berkley said, "and they have to start giving straight talk, and not gaslighting the community and gaslighting the teachers — because the narrative isn't true." The Naperville Unit Education Association voted to authorize a strike. Its contract expired at the end of June, and talks have been under way since February. "Our offer is strong and competitive with raises over all four years," said Charles Cush, president of the Naperville School District 203 board of education. "The numbers are clear. The union's current proposal is simply not sustainable." Cush said the union's current proposal could force the board to pursue a tax increase. "We cannot in good conscience ask taxpayers to bear this cost for a proposal that is not fiscally sound or affordable in the long term," Cush said. Union members, teachers, and families waited in the rain for a seat inside the school board meeting. "Let's be clear — District 203 is not broke," one speaker said. "This is how you are choosing to compensate some of your most dedicated, experienced teachers — teachers who have invested decades of their lives to this community," another said. Some teachers' union supporters said they were turned away from the meeting Monday night because there was not enough space for them inside. CBS News Chicago is told negotiations will continue Tuesday in Naperville.
CBS News
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Naperville District 203 teacher strike looming amid contract dispute
A strike threat is looming as students in Naperville return to school this week. Naperville District 203's teachers union, the NUEA, announced its members voted overwhelmingly in favor of authorizing a strike on Tuesday. While this does not mean the strike is imminent, it puts pressure on the district to reach a deal after its contract expired on June 30. The union and the district have been bargaining since February. Students return to school on Thursday. Union President Ross Berkley assured parents there will be "plenty of notice" if teachers decide to strike, ensuring parents can make childcare arrangements. See Berkley's full statement below: "Listen, no one wants to go on strike. In fact, it's the last thing we want to do. We'd much rather be in our classrooms with our students than out on the picket line. But we're also willing to do whatever is necessary to make sure our students have the best education possible," NUEA President Ross Berkley said. "If we do go on strike, we also want to reassure parents and our community that we will give plenty of notice before, so arrangements for childcare can be made."
