Deal To End Waukegan Teachers Strike May Be Near
(CBS) -- Tentative agreement may be close in the strike by teachers in Waukegan District 60.
The two sides have decided to take the day off Saturday before regrouping Sunday and tackling the last remaining issues.
Talks went so well Friday that the two sides issued a joint statement in which they said "the sides were able to reach tentative agreements on several significant issues."
District 60 chief negotiator Tony Ficarelli said that when negotiations resume Sunday, the goal will be a tentative agreement.
"Hopefully we can cross the goal line sometime on Sunday," he said.
It was the second consecutive day in which negotiators said they had reached tentative agreement on a number of issues.
The union's statement early Friday indicated a willingness to put in long hours at the negotiating table.
"We're willing to work around the clock if it means hammering out a deal. Our teachers -- some suffering from catastrophic illnesses -- are still without insurance during the strike," said Waukegan Teachers' Council President Kathy Schwarz.
Friday was the seventh day of the strike, which affects 1,200 teachers and more than 17,000 students in 23 schools. Classes are not scheduled to resume until Tuesday because of the Columbus Day holiday.