PRAIRIE STATE COLLEGE STRIKE

WHEREAS, the Prairie State College Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 3816, has been on strike for a contract since May 21, 1982; and

WHEREAS, the Prairie State College Board has hired a notorious union-busting law firm, Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather and Geraldson, which engages in bad-faith bargaining; and

WHEREAS, the Prairie State College Board has hired 125 scabs to teach summer school classes and is now demanding new, escalated preconditions to a contract settlement including: a salary freeze until the end of the spring, 1983 semester; removal of department chairs from the bargaining unit; elimination of the layoff procedure from the contract; and the right to suspend a teacher without due process:

RESOLVED:

• The American Federation of Teachers condemns the bad-faith, union-busting tactics of the Prairie State College Board.

• The American Federation of Teachers appeals to the Prairie State College Board to reject its union-busting strategy and, instead, demonstrate its willingness to negotiate in good faith with the union by dropping its escalated preconditions for a contract.

• The American Federation of Teachers shall send copies of this resolution to the Prairie State College Board, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Star publications, Chicago area radio and television stations, Chicago area unions, and the Chicago Federation of Labor.

• The American Federation of Teachers shall support a Solidarity Day sponsored by the Illinois Federation of Teachers on July 26, 1982 for the Prairie State College Federation of Teachers and send a mailing to all AFT local presidents asking them to send delegations of pickets, if possible, and/or strike contributions to the Prairie State College picket line.