A strong contract is only as good as its enforcement
Some recent victories from the CTU Grievance Department!
Grievance wins on PB days + outside teaching experience policy change
We are pleased to report another favorable decision for the CTU in this week’s grievance and arbitration report, which resulted in three big wins.
Grievance wins improve school safety and facilities + REACH arbitration
A strong contract is only as good as its enforcement, and that process is what ensures our safety and security long after a strike.
Health care wins and personal business rulings from CTU-CPS arbitration
Despite challenges around personal business days and the difficulty the Union has in combating CPS resistance to these cases, we continue to see arbitration victories for our members. Also, our new contract has yielded some significant improvements in certain aspects of our health insurance coverage.
Take Action: Demand CPS honor our bargain
CPS is illegally reneging on its deal. Our 11-day strike forced CPS to recognize the contributions of its veteran teachers, among other improvements. As soon as CTU members voted to ratify the agreement, however, the district broke our deal and demanded that most of the $25 million be paid in one-time lump sum bonuses rather than be added to veteran teachers’ base salaries, costing them thousands of dollars in salary increases over the course of their careers because their base salaries won’t increase. CPS didn’t want to pay its veteran teachers fairly, and now it’s retaliating against them for being among the longest-tenured and most dedicated workers in our schools.
Personal business and make-up day case rulings from CTU-CPS arbitration
In the wake of challenges around personal business (PB) days and our efforts in bargaining to consolidate and get Chicago Public Schools to stop fighting these cases, there have been several recent arbitration victories for Chicago Teachers Union members.
Your employee handbook is not a contract
Please share your school’s employee handbook with your field rep and bring anything you have questions about to their attention.
Elementary & Middle School Prep Periods Will Be Teacher-Directed June 19, 20
The Chicago Teachers Union won a favorable settlement of our grievance about preparation periods on June 19 and 20, 2019 — the last two days of student attendance for the 2018-19 school year. Prep periods on those days will be teacher directed. Consistent with...
Spring arbitration summary
The Union has recently won arbitration victories in five separate cases related to unsatisfactory REACH ratings, layoff rights, the timely filing of grievances and religious holidays. Arbitration cases are complex, time-consuming and costly to fight. CPS knows this, of course, and its tactic is often to force grievances into the lengthy arbitration process, which delays justice, depletes union resources and wears down opposition to its mistreatment of members.
