Monday, September 26, 2023

Good evening, everyone. My name is Monica Caldicott, and I am the librarian here at Vernon Hills High School. I am also the President of the D128 Federation of Teachers. I am glad to give our certified teachers a voice tonight.

Our Union is 308 members strong and covers all 3 district buildings. This is more than 99% of our potential membership. ALL of this school yearโ€™s new teachers joined our Union. When you hear from this Union about what makes our members proud or worried, know that we speak for such a super majority of super teachers.

We share information with our members by a bulletin board in each building, in-person meetings at district Institute Days, a monthly newsletter, a website, emails, and text messages. Our Union has building and department representatives to whom our members can go in person with questions or issues. 

Our Union Executive Board is leading this great group forward. As president, I meet with Dr. Herrmann weekly to discuss issues and work on the agenda for the monthly Labor-Management Committee, which has 4 members from the labor side and 4 members from the management side. Each Union building representative meets weekly with their principals, too.

We work hard to stand up for our Union members and share our perspective on how D128 decisions would impact our working conditions. We want to listen as much as we talk, and we seek cooperation. But when those strategies fall short, our Collective Bargaining Agreement, which is in effect until May 2025, has a grievance process to guide us past our disagreements. 

In addition to working for D128, about 75 Union members also choose to live in the school district. Know that we look to this School Board for decision-making that impacts our jobs and also impacts our families. 

Monday, September 4, was Labor Day. According to the Illinois Federation of Teachers, this day is set aside โ€œto honor and recognize the American labor movement and the workers of the past who sacrificed to ensure workplaces are fair and safe for us all.โ€ The strength of labor unions is in the news recently, with President Biden today joining the United Auto Workers on the picket line, the Hollywood writers strike, and growing push to unionize retail locations. IFT president Dan Montgomery shared that this week is the 40th anniversary of Illinois laws that granted collective bargaining rights to public employees in Illinois.

This is a day to celebrate OUR Union โ€“ our collective work, our representation, and our strength together. Our work educates, supports, and lifts up our students and our society.