Chicago Teachers Union wants Johnson to hike pay, fund housing for members
The Chicago Teachers Union this summer will negotiate their new contract with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, their former lobbyist. Their demands include housing assistance for union members, choking charter schools and more money.
The Chicago Teachers Union spent millions helping their former lobbyist win city hall, and now Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is getting a list of contract demands from his former employer that includes raises higher than inflation and paying for members’ housing.
Key demands include cost of living adjustments meeting or exceeding inflation and prohibiting use of teacher ratings for layoffs. CTU also wants to codify a 12-week paid leave policy promised by Johnson.
The last contract cost Chicago Public Schools an additional $1.5 billion, the total costs of the contract were estimated at $3.1 billion annually by 2024 and made CPS teachers among the highest-paid of the nation’s big districts.
CTU recently put $200,000 behind Johnson’s March 19 ballot initiative to increase the real estate transfer tax. He calls the proposal “Bring Chicago Home” and it is intended to create low-income housing to help the homeless. CTU claims it wants some of that money to help students and for Chicago Public Schools to get involved in housing advocacy.
Here’s what CTU just outlined for its delegates.
- Cost of living adjustments that meet or exceed inflation. CTU last negotiated for 3% raises for three years and 3.5% raises for last year and this year as part of a contract that cost Chicago taxpayers $1.5 billion.
- Eliminate multi-year step increases in salary, meaning raises for each year of experience in addition to base salary increases.
- Make extra-duty pay the same as instructional pay and align overtime rules with other Chicago city employees.
- Financial assistance for CTU members to live and work in the city.
- Chicago Public Schools advocacy in housing policy at the state and local level.
- Form a CTU/CPS working group to identify unused city space for public housing.
- Chicago Public Schools “shall create a pool of resources to address maternal care needs and racial health care disparities, including but not limited to reduction of copays/out of pocket maximums/annual contributions, automatic access to higher quality care, etc.”
- Add a day off for primary care physician visits.
- Expanded access to bariatric surgery, weight loss drugs and therapeutic services.
- Remove copays for all mental health services.
- More “certified personnel” to address violence.
- “Safety committees” in every school, including a restorative justice coordinator on each committee.
- Lower enrollment caps in charter schools.
- CPS ensuring union neutrality in Chicago schools.
As the union asks for more personnel to work on security issues, they also called for removing police officers in school. CTU delegates will vote on contract proposals later this week before starting negotiations with the city.