By Richard Berg | March 19, 2021 | ACTS
File under: Acero, Aspira, CICS: Chicago International Charter Schools
CTU has settled a grievance over class size violations at ASPRIA resulting in $61,000 in awards for members. We are in preliminary discussions with CICS and Epic over reopening in the fall. And we are negotiating a fourth quarter reopening plan with Acero focusing on the importance of equity as well as safety.
By Richard Berg, Organizer | December 4, 2020 | ACTS
File under: Aspira, Chris Baehrend, CICS: Chicago International Charter Schools, Latino Youth High School
Good news for CTU members at CICS Civitas who, just before Thanksgiving, received their proper raise and retroactive pay stemming from our strike. Not so good news at Latino Youth, where management has brought on the same big anti-union law firm CPS used to stonewall district negotiations. CTU-ACTS Chair Chris Baehrend authored a chapter about our historic charter strikes in the new book, Strike for the Common Good.
By Richard Berg, Organizer | November 20, 2020 | ACTS
File under: Aspira, CICS: Chicago International Charter Schools, CTU-ACTS, EPIC Academy charter school
The CTU New Organizing Committee met with charter school educators interested in unionizing. CTU members at Aspira are strategizing how to deal with colocation efforts. Acero Sped and ELL educators participated in a Know Your Rights training and are beginning to reach out to parents. Negotiations on our first contract with Epic are expected to begin after Thanksgiving
By CTU Communications | November 13, 2020 | ACTS
File under: Acero, Charter Schools, CICS: Chicago International Charter Schools, Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy, Namaste
Namaste is the latest charter school to experience a COVID-19 outbreak. After months of negotiations, and a request for a mediator, we are seeing progress in CICS-Civitas talks. Instituto Health and Science Career Academy is hiring a psychologist to comply with the CTU contract. Three laid off special education apprentices have been recalled at Acero, after members organized against the layoffs.
By Richard Berg, Organizer | October 30, 2020 | ACTS
File under: Acero, ChiArts: Chicago High School for the Arts, CICS: Chicago International Charter Schools, EPIC Academy charter school, IHSCA, Passages, YCLA
CTU leaders from Acero are fighting layoffs. The CTU New Organizing Committee and the Union’s Charter Division are both taking big steps. Meanwhile, Epic Academy and Namaste Charter School have each made important new agreements with the Union.
By CTU Communications | September 14, 2020 | ACTS, News, Press Release
File under: charter operator, ChicagoQuest, CICS: Chicago International Charter Schools
Chicago International Charter School board continues to balk at providing a portion of $35 million in public education dollars to support long under-resourced school serving Black and Brown families 3:45 p.m., Tues., Sept. 15: Press availability, CICS educators Via...By Chris Baehrend, CTU-ACTS Division Chair | July 13, 2020 | Uncategorized
File under: CICS: Chicago International Charter Schools, Elizabeth Shaw, Layoffs
In a moment when the world is declaring that Black Lives Matter, we should not be cutting Black educators. CICS CEO Elizabeth Shaw has said that we all have to be committed to challenging systemic racism. And yet she and her organization are defunding a school that serves primarily Black students.
By CTU Communications | July 1, 2020 | ACTS, News
File under: CICS: Chicago International Charter Schools, COVID-19, EPIC Academy charter school, NLRB
The results are overwhelming: 90 percent of rank-and-file educators at EPIC charter school have voted to unionize and join the CTU.
By Chris Geovanis | June 22, 2020 | News, News Advisory
File under: charter operator, CICS: Chicago International Charter Schools, COVID-19, Layoffs, student-based budgeting
1:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 23: Press availability via Zoom. CICS management continues to hoard $35 million in public education funds, while proposing layoffs that will undercut students’ educations, derail ability to support special needs students. CHICAGO—CTU... 
By CTU Communications | April 22, 2020 | News, Press Release
File under: CICS: Chicago International Charter Schools, coronavirus, COVID-19, EPIC Academy charter school
EPIC management’s dangerous demand for in-person elections at school whose community is ravaged by COVID-19 cases mirrors other charter operators’ misdeeds. CHICAGO, April 22, 2020—Workers at EPIC charter school have been organizing to unionize for months. An...
