Instead of funding classrooms, Namaste charter board to consider school closure
CHICAGO, May 28, 2019—Chicago Teachers Union leadership has learned that the board of directors at Namaste charter school in McKinley Park will consider a plan to close the school at tonight’s 5:30 p.m. meeting, in an effort to block educators at the school from...
Another charter victory: CTU members sign tentative agreement with charter operator Instituto
TA ends three day strike and wins smaller classes, wrap-around supports, sanctuary protections for immigrant students, contract protections for special education students and English language learners. CHICAGO—CTU members at charter schools are reforming the industry...
Latino Youth HS settles, strike continues at charter operator Instituto’s schools
Latino Youth strikers win sanctuary protections, mental health support, restorative justice, culturally appropriate curricula for low-income, Latinx high school students, as strike at Instituto schools continues.
7A/1P TODAY: Friday actions to push management on financial shell games and demand fair contracts at three striking charter schools
7AM TODAY, May 3: Press conference/picket lines IHSCA, 2520 S. Western Ave., Chicago. (Picket lines at all three striking schools: IHSCA, IJLA, LYHS) 1PM TODAY, May 3: Rally and March IHSCA, 2520 S. Western Ave. Strikers will march to Instituto CEO’s office at...
AFT’s Weingarten to join CTU charter educators to kick off multi-employer strike
Press conference/rally: 5PM, Wednesday, May 1 Chicago High School for the Arts, 2714 W. Augusta Blvd., Chicago Teachers, support staff are striking for living wages, adequate student supports, pension rights, protections for immigrant and special education students....
CTU charter members to strike on May Day
Teachers, support staff will walk out after end of school day on May 1 if demands for living wages, adequate student supports, pension rights, protections for immigrant and diverse learners are not met. View livestream of press conference at this link. CHICAGO—CTU...
April 25: CTU charter members to announce strike date against operators
Press conference/rally: 4:30 PM, Thursday, April 25 Arturo Velazquez Westside Technical Institute, 2800 S. Western Ave., Chicago Teachers, support staff will walk out if demands for living wages, adequate student supports, pension rights, protections for immigrant and...
CTU charter members vote overwhelmingly to strike four operators at five schools
Five charter schools could strike in coming weeks, as educators battle for living wages, adequate student supports, pension rights, protections for immigrant and diverse learners. Press conference can be viewed at this link. CHICAGO—After two historic strikes against...
CTU to rally for fair contracts for charter educators, announce strike vote dates
With 13 schools bargaining with seven operators, charter educators are demanding fair pay and benefits, wraparound supports for students, adequately resourced classrooms.
General CTU Announcement
Constitutional Change: CTU members pass both questions by large margins
The CTU's Rules & Elections Committee began counting ballots Friday on proposed constitutional changes. At about 6:20 PM today, Monday, January 29, the Committee certified the final vote, after counting a handful of schools and retiree mail-in ballots that came in before today's 5PM deadline. We'll be publishing school by school numbers in the next 24 hours, but the certified totals are as follows:16,206 members voted on question 1 and 16,235 members voted on question 2. Results from 44 schools were not certified, either because they did not submit ballots in time or because they failed to submit a signature sheet with their ballots.
Question 1: Allow unionized charter school teachers, PSRPs and other staff to join the CTU, create a Charter School Division within the CTU, and make related changes?
- Yes: 70.65%
- No: 29.35%
Question 2: Create clinicians functional group, allow schools with <20 members a voting delegate, lower part-time/substitute dues, set retiree dues at $50/year, create Retirees Standing Committee, add language committing to racial, social and economic justice?
- Yes: 81.69%
- No: 18.31%
Our members have voted to SUPPORT merging with unionized educators in charter schools, SUPPORT better representation for members and SUPPORT embedding racial, social and economic justice in our union's constitution.
These results are the outcome of a lengthy dialogue among members - and today we’ve declared that we’re stronger together in one big union. We've embraced our common struggle to support our workers, our students, their parents and our neighborhoods. Our two unions share the same goals: an end to school privatization and charter expansion, a living wage and a fair contract for workers, and classroom resources and supports that allow our students not just to survive but to thrive and grow into engaged, empowered, productive adults.
This merger isn't a magic bullet - but it does mightily strengthen our hand against charter operators, who were rabidly opposed to merger and the threat it poses to charter expansion and the very survival of the charter venture in Chicago. While merging our two unions will come with challenges, we've joined the ranks of federated unions across the nation that are stronger together - and better prepared to challenge Rahm, Rauner and Trump when they attack public education and its workers. Onward!
