My Union

Join us for an all-member CTU meeting from 1-3 p.m. on Tuesday, August 20 to discuss the status of bargaining for a new contract—and next steps as we get ready to start a new school year and accelerate our struggle for the contract our members, students and school communities deserve.

The mayor’s proposed school budget is CUTTING social workers, school nurses, librarians and other critical frontline staff, while the mayor’s negotiating team continues to reject CTU proposals on smaller classes, adequate staffing, decent wages and benefits and the supports our students need. The mayor’s fact-finder has sided with the mayor—starting the clock ticking for a strike authorization vote.

The mayor made promises to our students, parents, school communities and rank and file members. And the mayor has choices. She can choose to honor her promises to our school communities, or she can choose to continue to reject our demands and force a Rahm budget on our schools. Join us.

Are you angry about CUTS to funding for school nurses, librarians and social workers in Mayor Lightfoot and CPS’s proposed budget for next school year? Are you angry that the mayor and her CPS team will simultaneously increase central office staff by more than 150? Clearly, they don’t want an equity budget. They want a Rahm budget.

CPS is legally required to hold public hearings on the proposed budget. This is your chance to tell them what you think of their plans. You can read what the CTU officers and staff think of the budget in our initial budget analysis issued to the press the day the budget was dropped.

Buses will leave from the CTU All-Member Meeting at 3:00 p.m. for members who RSVP.

It’s important CPS hear from you about this, so we can get a budget that fulfills the promises Mayor Lightfoot made on the campaign trail.

Mayor Lightfoot’s new Board of Education has a lot of injustice to undo. From closures, staffing cuts and health care price gouging to overtesting and massive paperwork overload, CPS educators are fighting attack after attack. Join us at the next meeting of the mayor’s newly hand-picked board of education. Let them know our schools have real needs that must be addressed, remind them that the new mayor ran on an equity education platform that aligns with our needs and demands – and tell them that we need a fair contract now.

As CTU negotiates our next contract and prepares whatever action we need to get the school conditions, pay and benefits that our members and our students’ families deserve we can win big improvements if we unite. Chicago is changed for the better, our members played a huge role in that. Now we have the best opportunity in decades to roll back nearly 25 years of attacks, but those victories won’t come automatically.

The Southeast Side Labor Day Parade is our most immediate chance to show up strong and united before students return to our classrooms and halls.

CTU’s own Alderwoman Susan Sadlowski Garza and the Chicago Federation of Labor invite you to participate in the Southeast Side Labor Day Parade and Festival. This year’s parade will take place on Saturday, August 31, 2019 at 10:30 am.

The Southeast Side Labor Day parade and festival is expected to bring residents, businesses, organizations, schools, unions and the greater community together to celebrate the accomplishments of hard working men and women. The Southeast Side historic Labor Day Parade and Festival was founded upon union pride and solidarity. Wear your red, show your CTU pride and support this tradition of working class solidarity. More information is available on the event’s Facebook page.