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CBS News
5 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Naperville District 203 classes start Thursday as possible teacher's strike looms
Classes begin for Naperville District 203 on Thursday, but students are kicking off their school year, with a possible teachers' strike looming. The union voted to authorize a strike, but said no walkout has been planned yet. As hallways become full for the first day of school, teachers said they're prepared to walk out if contract talks break down, while the district said classes will go on as planned. The Naperville Unit Education Association said more than 1,500 teachers and licensed staff voted to authorize a strike. Their contract expired at the end of June, and talks have been underway since February. The union points to two main sticking points—changes to the school day schedule and lower salaries than neighboring districts. They insist the district can afford to meet their requests, citing strong financial reserves. In a statement, the school board said it has offered raises for all four years of a new contract plus board-paid health benefits—keeping Naperville 203 among the top-paying districts in the region. Both sides said they want to avoid a walkout. Naperville Unit Education Association President Ross Berkley said, "No one wants to go on strike. We'd much rather be in our classrooms with our students. But we're willing to do what's necessary to make sure they get the best education possible." Negotiations between the teachers' union and the board are expected to resume on Tuesday. As for Thursday, school is starting as planned. If talks stall, the union says it will give parents plenty of notice before any strike happens.
BBC News
02-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Redcar teachers to strike over longer school hours
Teachers at a chain of schools are set to go on strike in protest at plans to extend the school day. The National Education Union (NEU) said teachers at Outwood Grange Academy School in Redcar, alongside 14 other schools belonging to the trust across the country, will take industrial action. NEU regional secretary Beth Farhat claimed teachers had been forced into this position by an employer that "simply will not listen".Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT) said it was "exceptionally disappointed" in the union's decision to strike. "We remain open to constructive dialogue," a spokesperson said. NEU said teachers would strike on 3 June, 10-11 June and 17-19 follows OGAT's decision extend the school by 30 minutes, it said. Ms Farhat said the changes were "deeply unpopular" and the trust's teachers already had a "huge workload" which was affecting staff retention. "We believe that by pushing ahead with these changes and ignoring their staff, OGAT will make matters even worse," she advised the trust to "listen to their staff" and negotiate with the union for the "sake of staff and pupils". 'Workload neutral' OGAT said it was increasing the length of the school day because it currently did not meet government's 32.5 hour-a-week minimum said its school day currently ended at 14:30 BST. "The small change we have proposed will mean students can learn more and achieve even stronger outcomes," a spokesperson said. They said they had also made a commitment to meet regularly with trade unions to "identify any unnecessary workload" so that the new school week was "workload neutral" for teachers. It said it was particularly disappointed that the union had chosen days when students were due to take "important exams". Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
