The Chicago Teachers Union laid out their demands for their next contract this week, NBC Chicago’s Mary Ann Ahern reports.
Members of the Chicago Teachers Union began negotiating a new contract with the city on Tuesday, visiting various Chicago stakeholders at the start of a process of talks with an administration led by a mayor who is a former member.
Previous Chicago mayors Lori Lightfoot and Rahm Emanuel both encountered teacher strikes during their tenures, an event few believe will happen under Brandon Johnson's administration, owing to his ties to CTU.
CTU President Stacy Davis Gates is leaning on the relationship the CTU has with the Mayor.
“This is a brand new Chicago that we are engaging in” Gates said.
Not only did Gates introduce Johnson to the stage a year ago when he won the mayoral runoff election, but she’s also been one of his closest confidantes in running the city.
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Gates highlighted their shared goals on Tuesday.
"Not only does the union want it, the mayor of Chicago wants it," Gates said.
A draft of the CTU requests includes a 9% pay hike for bargaining unit members as well as a $2,000 newcomer package for each asylum-seeking student, according to a copy obtained by the Illinois Policy Institute, a conservative think tank.
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"What happens here in Chicago, other cities, other district leaders, other unions are going to be taking note on to see what happens," Mylie Smith of the Illinois Policy Institute said.
Other requests include mandated positions for every school, including a librarian, a library assistant, social worker, newcomer liaison and a case manager.
"We are asking for substantial amounts of investment into our school community," Gates said.
While the city has experienced several teacher strikes in recent years, concerns are instead raised over just how friendly Johnson will be at a time when the city faces challenging finances.
"Every Chicagoan needs to be demanding that the mayor recuse himself, there's no way that he can be impartial," Smith said.
As for the union's requests, Gates said the demands are about getting teachers what they deserve.
"We are making no small requests, we are going to work very hard to get people to understand the dimension of our labor and what we deserve," Gates said.
The current contract ends in June and may take until the start of the school year to reach a new deal.
