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East Moline Teachers Union may strike after last meeting with school board

Members of the East Moline Education Association will meet Monday, January 23, 2017 to vote with an Intent to Strike after their last meeting with the East Moli...

EAST MOLINE, Illinois-- Members of the East Moline Education Association will meet Monday, January 23, 2017 to vote with an Intent to Strike after their last meeting with the East Moline School Board.

According to East Moline School Board Superintendent Kristin Humphries, All teachers on salary schedules receive a 3.6 percent raise already.

The two sides met Friday, January 20, 2017 to discuss fair pay agreements. The union lowered their demands from an added 2.5 percent raise to a 1.7 percent raise on top of the yearly raises teacher already see. The board is willing to only add one percent to this raise, which one of the reasons the two sides can not agree.

"I can't begin to express the frustration we're all feeling at this point," said Gina Cone, the association's co-president and bargaining team member. She added that the teachers haven't had "any additional money" added to their salary schedules since 2009.

"If they haven't been able to contain costs in that amount of time, then it's time to either get new leadership or close the doors of the schools," she said.

The two sides were unable to come to an agreement. After their vote members of the East Moline Education Association will hold another picketing session at Ridgewood Elementary at 6:30 p.m. Monday, January 23, 2017.

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