The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is seeking an additional $50 billion for a variety of causes, including free abortions, immigrant services and LGBT training.
The union is calling for an additional $50 billion to fund a range of initiatives, including free abortions, immigration services and LGBT training. according to On the Daily Wire. These demands are part of a broader union push for major changes to employee benefits and education regulations amid concerns about Chicago Public Schools’ academic performance.
Chicago Teachers Union calls for $50 billion more to fund abortion, immigrant services after declining student performance https://t.co/X2mmohxBpr pic.twitter.com/inv5O4QKY6
— Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) May 6, 2024
In a recently leaked draft contract that has not yet been officially released, CTU proposes a 9% annual salary increase for teachers through fiscal year 2028. Based on the numbers, the increase would raise the average teacher salary from the current $93,182 to $144,620. The newspaper reported that the announcement was made by the Illinois Policy Institute, a conservative think tank.
The union’s demands include providing free abortions for public school employees, ensuring comprehensive mass transit access for students and faculty, and providing financial support for immigrants’ academic and mental health needs. CTU also aims to convert unused school facilities into housing for homeless immigrants, the Daily Wire reported. Other proposals would require LGBT training for all school staff and require all schools to have at least one gender-neutral restroom. The union is also demanding that school staff not be required to notify parents if a student adopts a new gender identity.
Union president Stacey Davis Gates openly acknowledges that these demands are ambitious.
“We’re asking you to give us a chance to tell our story,” Davis Gates said in a March speech, the Daily Wire reported. “It costs $50 billion and three cents. And lo and behold, that’s audacity. That’s Chicago.”
Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former teacher and union organizer, is currently leading those negotiations. According to the Daily Wire, his past ties to the CTU and support for the union in the mayoral race have raised concerns about his impartiality. Critics, including Mailey Smith, president of the Illinois Policy Institute and a local parent, say the union’s current demands are extreme but expected. (Related: Video purportedly showing Democratic mayor dodging questions and fleeing from reporters to getaway car)
“CTU leadership has a long history of progressive activism, focusing on power and politics around what is best for teachers and students,” Smith said. Said Fox News. “This was somewhat expected since the government hand-picked Mayor Brandon Johnson into office in 2022 from his own staff, his own staff. Now the company is bringing its own policies to the bargaining table. They are using this opportunity to advance their most radical agenda yet.”
