Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1535219
Chicago Teachers' "Extraordinary" Contract New agreement includes major gains for students and educators By Jackson Potter Teachers union members applaud after the Chicago Teachers Union's House of Delegates voted for the tentative agreement. I N A P R I L , 85% of the Chicago Teachers Union's 27,000 active members voted on a tentative agreement covering 500 public schools across the city. A record 97% voted yes. The contract will run from 2024 to 2028, expiring at the same time as the UAW 's contracts with the Big Three automakers (Ford, General Motors and Stellantis). The nego- tiation drew the greatest level of member participation and support in CTU's history and was achieved without a strike or a strike vote. The new contract addresses both bread and butter con- cerns and common-good demands. Said CTU president Stacy Davis Gates, a member of the union's Caucus of Rank and File Educators (CORE): "It was the whole buffet." New conditions There have been three Chicago Public School (CPS) strikes since the slate supported by the reform caucus CORE, with Karen Lewis as president, came to power in 2010. This con- tract is more comprehensive and includes the biggest raises and step increases since the advent of collective bargaining for Chicago teachers in 1967. It also lowers class sizes at every grade level. New political and bargaining conditions contributed to the strong contract and overwhelming ratification vote. After the Illinois legislature restored teachers' full bargain- ing rights in 2021, this year CTU was able to bargain on issues other than wages and benefits for the first time in three decades. The city 's current mayor, Brandon Johnson, a former CTU member and middle school teacher, sup- ported teachers' contract goals. Members were highly engaged in the negotiation. They submitted over 700 proposals (10 times more than in 2019) and doubled their participation in bargaining through union committees. CTU's largest ever bargaining team (65 rank and file members) not only led negotiations but initiated the first open bargaining ever, with four two-hour sessions accessible to members and the public. Under the new contract, union members will see a cost- of-living adjustment of 17–20% (tied to inflation) over the contract. Veteran educators will get raises to encourage them to stay in the district. The contract also expands dental, vision, infertility, and abortion care, as well as gender-af- firming care. It guarantees workers will get 12 weeks of paid parental leave and that leave rights will include paraprofes- sionals and other school personnel. Extraordinary advances The contract is a forcefield to protect against Trump's attacks on public education. It will reverse the privatization of key positions like tech coordinators and nurses while vastly improving staffing for librarians, case managers for students with disabilities, and teachers who support English Lan- guage Learners. 42 cta.org Advocacy