Thousands of unionized workers within the Chicago public education and park systems have heralded substantial wage increases after protracted negotiations. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has finally agreed to a new four-year contract with SEIU Local 73, impacting about 11,000 support staffers, as reported by the Chicago Tribune. A minimum salary of $40,000 for full-time workers and a series of retroactive pay rises are anchored in the tentative deal.

SEIU Local 73's representation of more than 2,200 Chicago Park District workers also reached a milestone, with a new five-year contract promising average pay increases of 23%, as disclosed by CBS News Chicago. This contract was brought to fruition after the union members overwhelmingly voted to authorize a possible strike, pressuring the Park District amid stalled contract talks. Dian Palmer, President of SEIU Local 73, hailed the agreement as "groundbreaking."

In the CPS agreement, bus monitors, crossing guards, custodians, security guards, and Special Education Classroom Assistants will see retroactive pay hikes of 4% for this and the coming school year. Subsequent increases will range between 4-5%, hinged on the Consumer Price Index. Dian Palmer emphasized that the workers “have secured much-needed raises that will greatly improve the lives of these essential workers and provide the respect they deserve.”

Meanwhile, Park District employees will reap substantial rewards during their contracts. Hourly lifeguards will experience an elevation in pay from $18.50 up to $24 per hour, while seasonal guards will touch the wave from $16 to $21 per hour. Other deal sweeteners include a one-time "essential worker bonus" along with enhanced longevity pay for veterans of a decade or more, and a bump in paid parental leave. The park district coughed up a hearty $28 million in pay raises and benefits to service an already hefty $184 million in annual personnel expenses.

Amid a climate where school support staff have been vocal about difficulties making ends meet on existing salaries, Stacia Scott Kennedy, executive vice president for the local, brought their reality directly to the Board of Education in March, underscoring the dilemma of workers who "often seek help accessing government assistance, including homeless services." Scott Kennedy told the Board, “If you are a public servant, you should not need government assistance to make ends meet…Your employees have to be able to afford to live in the City of Chicago.”