Crystal Lake teachers union files unfair labor practice claim against District 47

The Crystal Lake School District 47 teachers union has filed an unfair labor practices complaint against the district, in the latest sign of mounting tensions over so-far-unsuccessful contract negotiations.

The Crystal Lake Elementary Teachers Association claims the school district is using outside firms to bring in temporary employees, “in direct violation of the current CLETA contract and the Illinois School Code,” according to a new release from the Illinois Education Association, of which CLETA is a member.

“It is also what’s known as bad faith bargaining,” the IEA release said.

Kari Firak, District 47′s director of communications and public engagement, said the district is not aware of an unfair labor practice filing from the teachers union on the topic.

But the district had preemptively sought to counter the claim from the union, posting a statement Monday that was also read at a school board meeting that evening. In part, the statement sought to address what the district called “incorrect information” that had been circulating.

The district asserted it “does not use an illegal staffing agency” and explained that: “We have had to contract for certain special education services (speech, psych, social work, and counselors) due to shortages of professionals in the field for at least the past 10 years. Most districts in the State have also used this practice for years to ensure student needs are met. With the educator shortage, this is more necessary than ever to ensure services for students.”

But the teacher union asserts in its complaint that in about May through July, the administration subcontracted “bargaining unit instructional positions” without telling the union. The complaint is dated Wednesday.

“Hiring an outside staffing firm is not only illegal, it’s a band aid. It doesn’t get to the root of our hiring issues. The real solution is a fair contract that helps us attract and retain the best educators around, and we can only get that at the bargaining table,” CLETA spokesperson Jen Rutishauser said in a news release. “We should be looking for committed teachers, who come here and stay here. We know our students benefit from consistency and working with the same dedicated educators year after year.”

The complaint comes in the midst of labor woes in the district that have prompted the union to formally declare that contract negotiations have reached an impasse after almost a year of talks and months of federal mediation. The district says it’s offered a contract that would provide a 19.5% increase in teacher pay over several years, but the union has disputed those figures and says it doesn’t address inequities in its salary schedule. The union’s last contract expired before the school year started.

The union asserts that there are four staffing agencies involved who are being paid more than $1.8 million for 13 positions. The union said the district is paying up to $276,000 per job, while the average salary in the teachers union is $65,000, according to the release. The union claims the temporary employees were receiving different benefits and were ineligible to join the union.

“We’re at the table bargaining in good faith, working with the federal mediator, trying to come to an agreement. Meanwhile, the board is spending nearly $2 million, hard-earned taxpayer dollars to hire an outside firm to get temporary teachers in here. Meanwhile, they’re also spending tens of thousands of additional tax dollars on a law firm to help them with the bargaining process that’s been dragging on for almost a year. It’s counterproductive and a waste of money. It’s unreal,” Rutishauser said. “They need to get their priorities straight. They should be focused on honoring the talented, hard-working teachers they have, who are committed to this community – not bringing in outsiders to do our jobs.”

Last year, the district’s support staff union, Crystal Lake Association of Support Staff, filed a charge against the school district over the use of a temp agency to fill positions. In May, the school board approved a settlement in the issue, giving paraprofessionals $2,000 and increasing their pay.