The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is negotiating a new contract with the public school system that includes an additional $50 billion in wage increases and other demands, including full abortion benefits for union members and new immigration services. It is said that he is requesting. facilities, many LGBT-related requirements, and training in schools.
To put those numbers into perspective, Illinois’ total base tax revenue last year was $50.7 billion.
According to the latest Nations Report Card, which provides national results on student performance, only 21 percent of the city’s 8th graders are proficient readers, with members demonstrating overwhelming results for their students. Despite this, incredible demands are being made.
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CTU President Stacey Davis Gates (center right) and AFT President Randi Weingarten (center left) participate with faculty members during a rally on the University of Illinois at Chicago campus on Tuesday, January 17, 2023. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The union’s demands have not been made public, but leaked documents reveal eye-opening demands.
Union President Stacey Davis Gates’ bold plan calls for members to bank at least a 9% pay increase each year through 2028.
The average salary for Chicago public school teachers is $93,182, according to a study by the Illinois Policy Institute, a conservative nonprofit think tank. Therefore, average teacher salaries will increase by half to $144,620 in the 2027-2028 school year.
That number is more than double Chicago’s median household income, according to Census Bureau statistics.
The Chicago Tribune reports that this year’s CPS budget will exceed $9 billion, an increase of nearly 30 percent from $7.4 billion just five years ago. Much of that increase is reflected in teacher salaries, which are among the highest among teachers in the nation’s largest cities.
School districts spent more than $21,000 per student last year, well above the national average of $14,347, according to census data.
Gates’ plan also would pay teachers and counselors $1,000 per student in stipends per semester if they are assigned more students than their contractual caps, and employees with more than 30 years of service would receive $1,000 per student per semester. He is also required to pay $2,500 in severance pay.
Gates referenced the union’s plans in a speech in March, saying, “I’m asking you to give us a chance to tell our story.” “It’s going to cost $50 billion and three cents… sure it will, so what, that’s bold.”
Union President Stacey Davis Gates’ bold plan calls for members to bank at least a 9% pay increase each year through 2028. Gates speaks before the 2020 march. (Reuters/Max Herman)
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While these numbers may seem far-fetched, the union has deep ties to Mayor Brandon Johnson and has significant influence over city politics.
Johnson, a former CTU legislative coordinator, was endorsed by the union to run for mayor. As of June 30, 2023, CTU has poured more than $2.6 million into Johnson’s campaign, and Johnson has received more than $6 million in total from teachers unions, according to the Illinois Policy Institute.
Meanwhile, Davis herself has come under fire for calling school choice racist and for sending her son to a private school.
The leaked demands also address “disparities” in health care, providing 100% coverage benefits for abortion care and 100% coverage benefits for infertility treatments, including full coverage for embryo storage and other cryopreservation needs. .
But the union also wants more taxpayer money to go to immigrants in its far-reaching plans, with $2,000 earmarked for each immigrant to help with academics, transportation and mental health counseling. There is.
The union also wants each of the 646 public schools to have a “Newcomer Contact Center” for new and immigrant students, and to convert unused school facilities into housing for immigrants.
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacey Davis Gates (left) arrives with Mayor Brandon Johnson at the Legler Regional Branch of the Chicago Public Library on February 7, 2024. (Terence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
There are also a number of other social justice provisions the union would like to see, including ensuring that workers and educators receive annual training on LGBTQ+ issues as part of their job descriptions.
The union also wants to require every school in the district to have at least one gender-neutral restroom.
It also urges the board to adopt a policy that prohibits members from being forced to tell parents if a student rejects their gender.
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Maley Smith, senior director of labor policy at the Illinois Policy Institute, slammed Davis’ demands and said Mayor Johnson should recuse himself from contract negotiations.
“These demands look more like a political agenda than a serious contract aimed at supporting teacher wages and benefits and advancing the education of Chicago students,” Smith said last month. said in a statement.
“These demands go far beyond the scope of traditional bargaining and put taxpayer money at risk in pursuit of more union power and social action.”
“While we are calculating the cost of these requests, we already know that funding these requests will require a fundamental overhaul of our finances and new revenue. This means more taxes and higher taxes for residents. Chicagoans should be represented by a neutral party.” Who cares about their finances? ”
