Unit 4 Moves Upset Teachers Union

The various renovations and changes in Unit 4 involve a lot of work to move teachers and classrooms around during the process. This has raised questions by the local teachers union about labor and compensation issues. The district released a statement stating that a previous agreement should already cover the issues. From WILL:

The Champaign Federation of Teachers has filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge against the Unit 4 school district. The union says the district is refusing to bargain over the impact of teachers changing classrooms.

The CFT filed the charge with the Illinois Educational Relations Board Thursday evening. It comes as teachers at Dr. Howard Elementary and the Columbia Center prepare to move, ahead of Dr. Howard being demolished and rebuilt over the next two years.

"The Board refuses to sit down and negotiate with the union on how the moves shall be made, when they shall be made, and how the teachers will be compensated for their time in making the moves without being overly disruptive to the end of the school year,” CFT president Jen White said in a statement.

In a statement, the district says it is “confused” by the union’s action, and that it bargained with the union over the issue and signed an agreement in 2013.

More at the full article here. FoxIllinois had a video segment on the issue available here.