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.
No negotiating sessions are planned between now and Thursday.
Members of the Rockford Education Association have had the legal authority to strike since last week. Their old contract expired last July. The REA members have been working all this year under the terms of the old contract.
A strike is set for Thursday that would cancel classes and close schools to students unless the Rockford School District and Rockford Education Association reach a tentative labor agreement before then.
During an all-member meeting at the Coronado Performing Arts Center today, 1,482 REA members voted to strike with 74 voting against.
Guilford High School teacher Sean Laughlin compared ongoing contract talks to a game of chicken — either side waiting for the other one to budge. He’s hoping an agreement will be settled before Thursday.
Students don’t have school Wednesday; it’s a school improvement day for middle and high schools, and a teacher institute day for elementary schools. Students — and their parents — will have to make other plans Thursday.
“There won’t be any school to come to,” Laughlin said.
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.
Messages of support for the REA can be sent here.
Fred Klonsky 
Reblogged this on urbanperegrines and commented:
Sometimes I almost miss lobbying for public ed.