District 211 union meets tonight; strike looms Thursday

The parties talked for six more hours Tuesday night at Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 headquarters, but they broke after midnight still haggling over teacher raises.

Talks began with a federal mediator at 6:30 p.m. and remained closed while the bargaining teams tried to hammer out a settlement. On the mediator's advice, the sides now are focusing on a new two-year deal.

"We'll continue to work together as the opportunity presents itself," Superintendent Roger Thornton said. "At this point in time I think the best logic is people should get a good night's rest and see if progress can be made (today)."

Earlier Coverage Stories Six more hours, still no Dist. 211 deal [11/07/07]12 hours of talks yield little in Dist. 211 contract negotiations [11/06/07]Still time to avert teacher strike in Dist. 211 [11/05/07]Dist. 211 strike talks on break [11/05/07]District 211 support staff won't sympathy strike [11/04/07]Dist. 211 Teachers plan to walk Thursday [11/03/07]No deal, no strike date in Dist. 211 [11/02/07]Dist. 211, teachers back at the table; could declare strike today [11/01/07]Disgruntled District 211 teachers call strike for Thursday [11/02/07]Ex-Dist. 211 chief blames state [11/03/07]Police, union make plans for peaceful picket [11/01/07]Union, Dist. 211 board make postseason demands [11/01/07]Strike FAQ: The facts behind the issues [10/30/07]Looks like it's a win for sports [10/30/07]New Dist. 211 stance puts coaches on spot [10/30/07]Teachers picket Dist. 211 meeting [10/26/07] Have any questions? We'll do our best to get you answers. Email Daily Herald reporter Ashok Selvam at aselvam@dailyherald.com. Related Links Twp. High School Dist. 211NW Suburban Teachers Union, Local 1211

Thornton said the main sticking point was salary. Health insurance, summer school pay and bereavement leave had been resolved, he said.

Union spokesman Dave Comerford said "we are not ruling anything out at this point."

The pressure is mounting with only a day before Thursday's union-imposed strike date. A strike would keep 13,000 students out of class.

A union meeting at which union leadership would present the latest offer from the district is scheduled for today. But Comerford said the union had no new offer to present as of last night.

Neither side ruled out the possibility of a further bargaining session today.

Meanwhile, the school board has called a special closed-door meeting for 7:30 p.m. Thursday so Thornton can update them on negotiations.

During the meeting, board members could also be in the position to vote on a contract. A pessimistic scenario would have them in position to go over strike-related policies.

Tuesday's session comes on the heels of 12 hours of talks on Monday. That's when the district asked the union to prepare a two-year deal and Braglia's team complied. However, the district's team responded to the union's offer unfavorably and talks broke down Monday night, leaving the union frustrated. Neither side would divulge financial details of the two-year proposal.

A multiyear proposal by the union represented a change in philosophy as Braglia maintained he was only interested in negotiating salary for the current school year. The union would agree on a multiyear deal only if other parts of the deal besides salary were improved, such as teachers' health insurance plan and decreasing class sizes.

Some teachers have complained about skyrocketing health insurance cost, which they said has more than doubled in recent years. They said that eats up any kind of raise they might have received.

Teachers have been contributing to their health plans since the mid-1990s. Thornton said he'd like to keep the current health plan intact, which would help give the district more stability, he said.

The union had previously rejected the district's one-year offer, which included a 2.5 percent base-salary raise as Thornton said the offer was in line with the rate of inflation. Those talks started in May and broke down in August.

The union had asked for a 3.8 percent raise, saying they accepted less during the last round of talks in 2005 and deserve more. District 211 teachers are paid among the highest in the state, but Braglia compares the district to Northwest Suburban High School District 214, whose teachers will receive 4.25 percent raises this year.

In 2005, the district -- with its budget surplus depleted -- asked voters for a tax-rate increase or threatened extracurricular activities would be cut. Some district teachers openly campaigned for the successful tax increase.

The district is in the final year of a three-year contract that expires in July. It includes a provision to renegotiate the 2007-08 deal and doesn't include a base-salary hike. But the contract does preserve step increases for teachers, which boost pay depending on education and experience.

A salary reopener like the one in place in District 211 isn't unusual for workers within a school district, municipality or other taxing body. Even if the two sides agreed on a 2007-08 raise without a multiyear deal, the talks may provide only a brief break from the negotiation table.

The two sides were scheduled to resume talks in January to negotiate a new contract to replace the current three-year deal.

A quick return to bargaining is one of the reasons the district favors a multiyear deal, though Braglia has argued that Thornton's pending retirement in 2009 has more to do with that. Braglia said the board would want to keep a new superintendent away from the negotiating table.

Also of note -- any strike could have an impact on postseason sports, including the Fremd High School football team which is scheduled to play Saturday. District officials had said in the event of a strike that all coaches would need to report for a full work day. It's unclear how that would affect Saturday contests when classes aren't in session.

Conant, Fremd, Hoffman Estates, Palatine and Schaumburg high schools represent the state's largest school district with 2,100 employees.

Parents are advised to call the district's emergency line at (847) 755-6635 on Thursday morning.

A decision on the strike and whether classes would be canceled would be made by 6 a.m. Additionally, parents can check www.d211.org.