Report from the November 1, 2023 House of Delegates meeting
Our House of Delegates met tonight and discussed a number of important issues we want to summarize for you.
Our House of Delegates met tonight and discussed a number of important issues we want to summarize for you.
CHICAGO—The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) Thursday commended the Illinois General Assembly for passing a bill that protects Illinois educators from intimidation, retaliation and interference when they organize to join a union in privately operated charter schools, a move that will help educators improve the teaching and learning conditions in their schools. The legislation, HB 1120, requires charter school operators taking public school funding to include a labor neutrality clause as part of its school authorization. Under such a clause, an employer agrees to refrain from opposing or taking a position on union organizing by their employees.
Two key CTU legislative initiatives passed through committees this week and now go to the full legislative chamber for consideration: one bill requires union neutrality agreements for charter schools and the other allows retired PSRPs to work as substitute paras.
Please join charter educators at Acero Schools for our Rally for Supportive, Safe, and Sustainable Schools at 5:15 pm on Wednesday, April 19, at Acero Torres, 4248 W. 47th St. We are fighting for a new contract, and we are demanding more staffing, equal pay for equal work, and safe and healthy green schools. This fight is not just for educators at Acero, but for educators across the city of Chicago. What we win in our contract can pave the way for wins in other charter schools and at the district level.
The CTU launched the first charter strike in the nation in 2018 and a few months later, embarked on the first ever multi-charter strike. Now, CTU’s Charter division is embarking on another groundbreaking strategy, a coordinated campaign, negotiating contracts at 35 schools in 13 different charter networks simultaneously.
This summer and fall all of our charter contracts expire – and we have an opportunity to change the landscape of education after the trauma of the pandemic. We are fighting for supportive, safe, and sustainable schools in unionized charters, as phase one of a CTU-wide contract campaign. What we win in the charter space will directly affect district negotiations. Click here to read more.
It’s been a busy week for CTU’s charter educators, who kicked off their unified contract campaign last week. We’ve got a report on that and other charter news.
Our success in Springfield depends on you — call your legislators today.
After two-days of direct action, Passages Charter School members won a reopening agreement that meets their demands on all outstanding issues. CTU-ACTS leaders met recently to strategize a coordinated bargaining campaign. Members at Namaste ratified their back-to-work agreement and Latino Youth members marked their 29th week of refusing the boss’ back to in-person work order.