Republican Gov. Jim Thompson led the way for the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act in 1983. The law requires school districts to recognize and bargain with education labor unions, the head of the Illinois Education Association writes.
Illinois public school students are at a severe disadvantage. Educational unions here can strike, keeping kids out of school, but that’s not the case in other big cities or neighboring states.
After ten days of striking, ten months of bargaining, and years of state budget cuts, the Chicago State University union has reached a tentative agreement to better the future of the South Side school.
Strikes are looming at two other state universities Eastern Illinois University and Governors State University as employee unions say they feel like they have exhausted other steps after a long time at the bargaining table.