Politics
Cook County Forest Preserve Teamsters on Strike After Rejecting Offer
The Forest Preserve District of Cook County manages 70,000 acres of public land, including this parcel in Tinley Park. (Courtesy Forest Preserve District of Cook County)
Nearly 200 employees at the Forest Preserve District of Cook County went on strike Monday after failing to come to terms with management on a new contract.
The workers are members of Teamsters Local 700 and include maintenance staff, truck drivers and mechanics whose jobs run the gamut from plowing roads to conducting prescribed fire burns.
Key sticking points in contract negotiations include lack of parity in pay raises with non-union staff, as well as compensation for overtime, according to the union.
In addition to salary issues, other grievances cited by the union: Due to the nature of the work, staff often skip breaks while conducting prescribed burns, but the authorized break time is still deducted from their paycheck. Workers also are sometimes schedule seven to 12 days in row, without receiving overtime compensation, the union said.
“The forest preserve district will tell you it values these workers, but its own pay scale says something different,” Ramon Williams, president of Teamsters Local 700, said in a statement. “It advances everyone else 10 times faster than the people doing the hardest, dirtiest, most essential work out in the preserves.”
The union’s contract expired at the end of December 2025 and members voted against the district’s offer. Members rejected the same contract again in July and authorized a strike.
In a statement to media, forest preserve district officials said they had offered: a 2% raise in January 2026, another 2% in July 2026 and a 4% raise in July 2027; a $2,500 one-time payment for full-time employees and a $1,250 one-time payment for seasonal staff; a paid half-hour lunch (non-union staff receive an hour); and broader overtime pay rules.
“Working within our current and long-term fiscal restrictions, the Forest Preserves has made offers to the union that continue to provide a compensation package that is at and above what is competitive in the labor market,” said General Superintendent Adam Bianchi in a statement. “We are confident that we can negotiate with the union to find a solution within our confines.”
The forest preserves will remain open during the strike, district officials said.
Contact Patty Wetli: [email protected]
