Streator Elementary Board says strike vote was expected, but it remains committed to negotiations

The Streator Elementary Board of Education president said Tuesday the board was not surprised by the teachers' union’s strike authorization vote.

With that said, Board President Angela Risley said the district “remains committed to negotiating a fair contract.”

“The Board continues to wait for a response from the Streator Education Association to the Board’s last proposal and tentative agreements, as well as the Board and mediator’s request for the Association’s availability to meet,” Risley said.

The teachers’ union’s strike vote, once the paperwork is turned in, will start a 45-day clock and after that time, the union can opt to strike. The union took its vote Monday during a meeting at the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Streator, open only to its membership. The vote tally was not shared, but it was overwhelmingly in favor of a strike, said Stacy Walton, Uniserv director.

Walton said Monday the mediator has not given the union any future dates to meet with the board as of yet.

The board and the union have been negotiating since May 16 in the hopes of finalizing a new contract.