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C t N I S PLAINDEALER- HERALD McH enry, f i l inois Friday. January 18, 1985 Teachers strike shuts down District 156 schools By Donna Santi McHenry School District 156 teachers entered their second day of striking Thursday morning, after reporting to picket lines at about 6 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 16. What is reported as the first teachers' strike in the high school district's history, began on what was scheduled as the 'first day of student final Despite over 40 late-night meetings between the two parties, which have been held since March 19,1984; and a final effort to negotiate Tuesday evening, Jan. 15, teachers left the bargaining table without a contract settlement. Items of dispute within the contract include salary, health insurance benefits and retirement. Three picket lines were organized early Wednesday morning, one at each high school campus and another in front of the District 156 Central Ad­ ministration office on Main Street. According to Gary Gray, publicity chairman for the McHenry High School Teachers' Assn., the picket lines will continue daily on a fluctuating time basis at all three locations, until some agreement is reached. Persons requesting in­ formation on the strike are asked to call Central Ad­ ministration, 385-7900, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.; or the teachers' "crisis line," 344-0064; between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. The school board voted Tuesday night to waive the requirement for semester exams for approximately 25 January high school graduates. The action will allow those graduating students to complete their high school education on time. Though District 156 shares its administration office and transportation department with School District 15, the grade schools will reportedly be unaffected by the strike. Will residents abide by new seat belt law? By Robert Gordon mandatory seat belt law in Illinois. Starting July % of Ibis year, citizens of the state must buckle up or pay up, but com­ munity reaction to the legislation appears to be mixed. "I think it's (the seat belt law) a good idea,"8aid Sgt. Ray $ Donahue of the McHenry City Police. "It will keep a lot of people from going through the windshields." "Just the fact that it's safety, Donahue said. "Safety is the thing. If the statistics are correct, it's going to save lives as well as keeping a lot of people from being maimed." A $25 fine will be imposed by police to individuals who do not use their seat belts in the front seat. The law does not pertain to passengers in the back seat of a vehicle. The Plaindealer-Herald asked 16 local citizens for their opinion , on the new law and 12 members of the group said they think the law will lower accident fatalities. "I think it probably will save lives," said Scott Tippet, 20, Wonder Lake. "What else are you going to do to get people to wear them except to fine them?" s However, despite the data and numbers which support the use of seat belts, only five of the 16 community members the Plaindealer-Herald spoke to support the new law. Though most of the interviewed think the law will save lives, 11 citizens said the legislation will take away their private judgement on the use of the "My reasoning is they give us the statistics, they tell us to wear the seat belts but where's our freedom of choice?," Melody Ro&ek, 31, MCHeilry said. "I think it's a good idea and I understand the reasoning for it, but I don't agree it should be mandatory." Many of the 11 who disagree with the seat belt law either pointed out their fears of being strapped in a vehicle, or gave examples of accidents in which passengers were saved because they did not buckle up. "I suppose now I'll have to wear my seat belt," said a 45- year-old McHenry woman who wished to remain anonymous. "I suppose it's smart to do it. But my daughter didn't have hers on, and it saved her." The woman said a truck hit her daughter's car broadside, on the driver's side of the automobile. "The way it was, she bounced to the other side," the woman said. "If she had been wearing it, she'd have died." • Sandy Goodfriend, 21, Spring Grove said she never wears her seat belt, partly due to an ac­ cident that her brother survived. "He flipped an MGB over about ten times," Goodfriend said. "He was thrown from it, but if he had stayed in the car, he would have been dead." A 35-year-old city employee who would not give his name said, "It's a 50-50 chance. In some cases the seat belt is going to save your life. In some cases it's going to take your life." Despite the fears of some of the citizens interviewed, Sgt. Donahue said in all of his years as a police officer, he has never seen an instance in which a seat SWAT RF.LTS--Pace 10 GOOD MORNING MMUMT In the second segment of the four-part series on rising hospital costs, reportei • Gerard Dzuiba looks at the problems faced by efderly . people and those on fixed in­ comes. For details, see page four. I N D E X K H A W I N l I I M / f s s M l l > I A I N C Plaindealer Herald photo by Robert Gordon McHenry High School teachers pickefrln front of the Central Ad- last-minute, but unsuccessful, negotiating session Tuesday night, ministration office Wednesday. The strike was called following a Contract talks have been ongoing since March, 1984. One issue, two distinct views From the board... From the teachers... Business .. Sec. 2. Page 1 Church Sec. 2, Page 3 Life Today.. . . . . . P a g e 6 Neighbors. Sec. 2, Page 2 Obituaries Page 8 Opinion Page 2 Schools ... Sec. 2. Page 4 Sports .. Pages 18.19, 20 By Anthony Oliver PlaladMlar Herald aUtt writer Last minute, negotiations between the Dist. 156 board of education and the' McHenry High School Teachers Association (MHSTA) failed to avert a strike. According to a board spokesman, the association's bargaining team issued an ultimatum at the Tuesday night session saying either agree to the final position or go to binding arbitration. Gary Trembly, chief * negotiator for the association, reportedly said if a compromise were offered, the teachers would not be reporting for work for at least one day. Speaking for the board, Barbara Slater said the board would not improve its position as long as the association threatened to withhold services even if a compromise were offered and agreed upon. Slater said the board's official offer provides salary and in­ surance benefit increases of 8.1 percent in 1984-85 and 6.6 per­ cent in salary and any increase in insurance costs for the 1985-86 school year. This is in contrast to the association demand for a 10.75 increase in average salary and insurance benefits in the 1984-85 school year. Dist. 156 Supt. Robert Swartzloff said the high schools will be closed to students until further notice, but added that the classified staff and non- tenured teachers reported for work. Swartzloff said the association advised non-tenured teachers to report for work. He also commented that state law requiring a specific number of teaching days had been changed and the days do not have to be made up-by law. "In effect/- this becomes another negotiable item," Swartzloff said. "I just can't say what will happen." In the last-minute session Tuesday, the board waived the final exam requirements for seniors graduating in January, which affected about 18 students at East Campus and 11 at West. The strike's impact is not restricted to McHenry schools alone. Swartzloff said Wed­ nesday afternoon that the McHenry County College classes scheduled for Dist. 156 buildings would not be held. "The official word is that the MCC teachers will honor the picket lines and classes will not be held," Swartzloff said. Swartzloff said the board negotiating team was waiting now for the federal mediator to call a meeting. The mediator has been involved in negotiations since October, 1984. Edward "Ned" Neumann commented, "We've been talking for a long time. My personal assessment is there is going to be a strike for a while." Neumann, board president and 15-year board veteran, em­ phasized that he was not speaking on behalf of the boards of education. According to a board statement, the association showed "a callous disregard" for the students, calling the strike on the first day of semester exams. The board charged that the intent of this action was to put the students in the middle of the contract dispute. Since March 19, 1984, the board of education team has met with the association 36 times, 10 SCHOOL BOARD--Page 10 By Robert Gordon and Donna Santi "Two-four-six-eight,, come on board, let's arbitrate," McHenry School District 156 teachers chanted as they picketed outside of the district's administration office on Main Street, one of their three picket line locations. Pacing single file in two hour shifts, teachers began their organized strike Wednesday morning, clutching signs em­ bellished with grievances concerning the board of education's position in contract negotiations. "After 30 plus meetings, we need a dispassionate person to look at this," said Gary Gray, McHenry High School Teachers' Association pubilicity chair­ man. "We are willing to accept changes for (binding) ar­ bitration. We can understand the board not wanting to sacrifice their powers, but the power lies with the people." McHenry High School Teachers' Association President Marty Sobczak said the negotiation sessions with the district board began in March of last year. After more than 30 meetings, Sobczak said a mediator, Bob Calloway, was called on Oct. 10 to aid negotiations. However, 11 ad­ ditional meetings with Calloway did not produce a contract agreement, and a final meeting Tuesday evening failed to settle the issues on the bargaining table. "It was only about 25 minutes long," Sobczak said of the last meeting. "They (the board) didn't have anything more to say than in November." Besides binding arbitration, Sobczak said the other major points to be settled in the con­ tract are: -Increase in base salary -Health insurance, which telthers say they want fully paid. -At least partial reim­ bursement for teacher's who are taking college courses to keep up with latest developments in their field of instruction. -Retirement and some reward for those teachers who retire after age 60. "I've been in the district for 11 years and have gotten in­ formation from those who were here even longer," Sobczak said. "This has been building up over the last eight to 12 years. The staff has bent over back­ wards in the past to avoid not educating the kids in this district. But we have our families and professional lives to deal with." "In the past (contract talks of previous years) we've worked in separate areas," Sobczak said. "Sometimes the oldest staff and their pay raises, sometimes the newer teachers. The situation now is 'the staff,' and what is fair for everyone. I've seen some of the oldest tenured staff are adament as some of the newest to make sure we have a fair settlement this time." Twice during the long period of negotiations, the teachers were presented tentative con­ tracts to approve or disapprove. Sobczak said the first resulted with a 70-20 vote against it; the second with a 70-3 vote with 12 abstentions. Sobszak said the abstentions were from non- tenured teachers. "What we have on the table now is the absolute minimum TEACHERS--Page 10 Tips for Ralph Nader MUS1N'8.MEANDERIN PAGE i 2