The Chicago Teachers Union will deliver a stack of petitions to the Board of Education Wednesday that leaders say will show there is widespread member support to keep pushing on five key issues, but the union is holding off on a vote to authorize a strike.
Nearly a year into negotiations between CTU and Chicago Public Schools, the legal process that must be undertaken before a strike is called is almost complete. A month ago, the union rejected an independent fact finders report after which they could issue a strike authorization at any time, but still had to wait 30 days to actually call a strike. The 30 days are up on Friday.
In a change, the union is telling its members that, given the agreements already landed, that it is already a “transformative” contract. The union is close on cost of living salary increases and has gotten the school district to add more staff in a number of areas, such as adding teacher assistants to preschool classes.
CTU President Stacy Davis Gates has not ruled out a strike, but she said the petition drive was a chance for the union to check in with its members to make sure the bargaining team is going in the right direction. And she said she hopes it will lead school district leaders to rethink their positions and improve their proposals.
The five issues members were asked about in the petition drive were: more time for elementary school teachers to plan, more pay for veteran teachers, a push for an overhaul of the teacher evaluation system, enforceable class size limits and more staffing.
The CTU says dozens of schools have had all members sign the petition.
CPS has made proposals on all these issues, but have said they can’t do more on veteran pay, class size limits and staffing given budgetary constraints. When it comes to elementary school planning time, the district is offering 10 minutes, but has resisted building more into the school days, saying planning time will eat into time in class. In terms of the evaluation system, it notes that teachers are not “penalized for low evaluations.”
CPS did not specifically respond to the petition drive, but noted in a statement that it has already made numerous staffing commitments.
“So far, there seems to be overwhelming support for all five of these issues, and members are organizing to show support for them,” Davis Gates said. “It’s across the board. It’s in every geography. It’s high school, it’s middle school, tt’s elementary school, it’s clinicians, it’s teachers’ assistants.”
Davis Gates said she thinks landing deals on these outstanding issues is “within reach” but she blames the CPS CEO Pedro Martinez for some intransigence on the part of district leadership. She said Martinez doesn’t have incentive to land a deal after being fired in December. A clause in his contract allows him to stay on until June.
The union will talk about the results of the petition drive as they participate Tuesday in a National Day of Action called by the American Federation of Teachers to protest President Donald Trump’s education policies, which they call “cruel attacks on public schools.”
Union leadership will be at a South Side elementary school Tuesday morning and in the afternoon teachers will pass out flyers to parents explaining their contract demands.
Diane Castro, a bilingual preschool teacher, said she was surprised at how many teachers at her school showed up at a meeting to sign the petition. Castro said class size limits are important to teachers and parents at her school.
She said one thing that has helped garner support for the CTU is parents’ understanding that the union fought for sanctuary language, which is now helping to protect immigrant students in schools.
Sarah Karp covers education for WBEZ.