The Lake Forest Education Association issued this statement to the media mid-day on Saturday, Sept 15, 2012 regarding its attempt to meet with the Lake Forest District 115 Board of Education (BOE):
Lake Forest Education Association, Sept. 15: Once again, the BOE has chosen not to participate in the collective bargaining process with the LFEA.
Before negotiations were ended by the district yesterday afternoon, the Lake Forest Education Association (LFEA) asked the mediator to inform the District 115 Board of Education (BOE) that we would be ready to continue negotiations at 10 AM on Saturday. At 10 AM this morning, the LFEA negotiating team entered district headquarters hoping to find the BOE negotiating team. Instead, the BOE left a note on the table for the LFEA team to read. Their note declared that yesterday’s “ …last, best offer” was their final offer and demanded a last, best offer from us.
According to Tom Gigiano, the lead negotiator for the LFEA, “This is not the collective bargaining process and does not lead to productive compromise. The LFEA’s last, best offer is for us to be at the negotiating table together to find common ground, complete this process, and get our teachers and kids back where they belong, in the classroom together.” The LFEA will be returning to the district offices on Monday, September 17, 2012 at 9 AM or anytime the BOE is ready to meet in hopes that the BOE will join us in an attempt to find compromise.
Chuck Gress
LFEA Spokesperson
9/15/2012
The entire text of the BOE’s message is as follows:
LFEA Team:
The doors have been left open at the front. If you have a last, best for the board, please contact Mike Hernandez (D-115 attorney). The board team is prepared to meet at any time and respond to your last, best offer.
Please find a solution. Our children are the ones being impacted heavily.
Last best offer, means just that. People are taking pay cuts, losing their jobs, paying their own benefits and working extra part time jobs to make ends meet. Illinois has the highest foreclosure rate. Just where do the teachers think the money is going to come from? Neighbors keep saying how about being grateful for having jobs, with amazing benefits and pensions, very few have such security.
So, regardless of the inequitable pay teachers receive based on their extensive educations and the good work they do for the children of others you would like to see them suffer as others do? Where were your complaints about the rich teachers and their great benefits when the economy was soaring? I suspect you didn’t give them a thought. These people are skilled professionals who deserve more respect and benefits than we can afford to give them. If you are living in Lake a forest you know very well how valuable these people and there efforts are to your children.
And when we are next hiring for teachers and nobody worth a look bothers to apply, we’ll wonder why.
“Last best offer” means exactly that – last offer, not let’s renegotiate again. We’ve very disappointed in both sides at this point. Please find a compromise.
The teachers union must realize at this point that they have no support in the community…..zero. The sooner they realize this and get back in the class room the better off we will all be.
Please find a solution.