MACHESNEY PARK, Ill. -- Teachers at Harlem School District plan to strike for a second day Tuesday, leaving nearly 8,000 students waiting for the school year to begin.þþNegotiators broke off talks Monday after the school board and teachers union failed to agree on salaries, said Barbara Abrahamson, chief negotiator for the teachers union.þþShe said teachers would continue to strike until an agreement was reached, but no future bargaining sessions had been scheduled as of Monday afternoon.þþÿThe board and the union have effectively agreed on every other item except the salary schedule,'' Abrahamson said after the meeting Monday, which lasted more than an hour. Harlem School District serves Loves Park, Machesney Park and southern Roscoe.þþSchool board president Sandi Johnson said she was disappointed by the outcome of Monday's meeting.þþÿIt's about us offering a certain amount and them wanting more, and you just can't give what you don't have,'' Johnson said. ``I'm just real frustrated.''þþTeachers picketed outside district buildings Monday morning after failing to agree with the school board on a contract Sunday night.þþSo far the board has agreed to teachers' demands for a three-year contract with salary increases in years two and three and more flexibility in retirement benefits, said district superintendent Pat De Luca. Tentative deals have been made on class size and class schedules at the district's middle school, he said.þþThe district's support staff, including custodians, teacher aides and secretaries, are also bargaining for a labor deal. The support staff agreed to work without a contract, but they were locked out of district buildings Monday to save money, De Luca said.þþLast year, Harlem schools started three days late because of a strike by support staff.
Source: Chicago Tribune
