Rockford Education Association 1,482 members voted to strike with 74 voting against.
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Members of the Rockford Education Association wait for the start of a closed-door meeting about contract negotiations Monday, March 26, 2012, at the Coronado Performing Arts Center in Rockford.
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I feel like the board hasn't been bargaining in good faith. We've been working on this for 11 months now.
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REA President Karen Bieschke said after the vote the union and district are “very far apart” in negotiations, and no additional bargaining sessions had been scheduled to negotiate.
Members of the Rockford Education Association, including a member dressed as a gorilla, arrive for a closed-door meeting about contract negotiations Monday, March 26, 2012, at the Coronado Performing Arts Center in Rockford.
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REA President Karen Bieschke said: “This is outrageous. We have been bargaining for 11 months with over 60 negotiations sessions. With the education of over 28,000 students hanging in the balance — the REA was prepared to get this done today. We did our homework and came prepared. Why didn’t Superintendent Willis and his team do the same‘?”
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Rockford Public School District 205 Interim Superintendent Dr. Robert Willis sent the following message to District 205 teachers Monday, March 26, regarding ongoing contract negotiations and a possible teachers’ strike. Along with the message was a four-page document titled “RPS 205 Bargaining: Setting the Record Straight.” Click here to view the full document from Willis. To read more about the ongoing contract dispute between District 205 and the Rockford teachers’ union, the Rockford Education Association (REA), click here. Members of the REA were expected to meet March 26 to determine their course of action. The REA filed its intent to strike notice with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board March 12, which paved the way for a legal strike to occur at any time after a 10-day waiting period.
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