The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) bargaining team is set to review a potential contract deal with Chicago Public Schools (CPS). After nearly a year of negotiations, a smaller, regular bargaining team reached an agreement with CPS last Friday, which now requires approval from the larger CTU bargaining team. According to WGN-TV, the proposed contract includes a four-percent cost-of-living increase for teachers each year over four years and provisions to hire additional librarians and teaching assistants.
If the deal is approved by the CTU’s large bargaining team, the process will move forward to the union’s house of delegates and eventually to a vote among the union’s 30,000 members. A statement released Monday morning from the Chicago Teachers Union mentioned, "There’s been enormous progress at the bargaining table and our members will be looking for how the proposed agreement improves the school day for Chicago’s students" and "addresses the undervaluing of educators, especially veteran educators," as well as the overall adequacy of the negotiations in creating a robust education system for Chicago’s children, as stated by WGN-TV.
As per ABC7 Chicago, Mayor Johnson's school board considered resigning over a disagreement on taking out a high-interest loan to cover contract costs and pensions. Moreover, while facing potential ousting, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez remained in his role, and Mayor Johnson claimed credit for averting a strike, remarking that "no other mayor brought Chicago Public Schools, the Board of Education, the Mayor's Office and the CTU to the table to make sure our children get exactly what they deserve, which is a fully-funded, well-rounded education."
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