One Step Closer to a Strike in Valley View District 365

Romeoville, IL - Valley View District 365U staff are one step closer to being able to call a strike. This morning, the Valley View Council (Local 604) representing 1,800 district employees submitted their 10-day Intent to Strike notice with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. This action comes on the heels of an overwhelming vote by the membership to authorize a strike last week and no movement from the district since.

The earliest strike date is September 15.

“Over the past month, we’ve seen the district post several updates online, but nothing has changed at the bargaining table,” said Valley View Council President Jared Ploger. “Starting the school day earlier is not the way to give our students the support they need. Parents know that. Students know that. And our members know that – as made evident by our vote last week. The Board is failing our students if they push a strike over this issue.”

More than 91% of Valley View Council members turned out to vote on their willingness to strike last week. 95.97% of them voted yes.

Research and practice go against what the Valley View Board is trying to push. Education experts have shown that getting enough sleep and waking later supports adolescent learning. The district’s plan would have 98% of students starting their school day even earlier than they already do, while also reducing teacher planning time during the school day. This would also make Valley View an outlier compared to nearly all high-ranking school districts in the state, 93% of which start later than the proposed new time.

Ploger continued, “The disrespect has gone on long enough. Our students deserve a district that puts their needs first. If the Board won’t commit to that, our staff will.”

Compensation is another issue that has yet to be resolved. The union maintains that the district’s offer does little to support staff retention and to keep Valley View on par with comparable districts.

Bargaining has been taking place since January. No further mediation dates are set. The union stands united for a fair contract that puts students first and maintains the current school day.

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The Valley View Council represents 1,800 teachers, maintenance, security, nurses, social workers, deans, counselors, paraprofessionals, SRT’s, and SLP’s who teach and support the 16,000 students who attend Bolingbrook and Romeoville schools in Valley View District 365U. The Valley View Council is affiliated with Local 604, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, and the American Federation of Teachers.