Bargaining for the Schools our Students Deserve First Union Meeting of the 2019-20 School Year

Chicago Teachers Union Today’s Agenda Welcome back! What are the big issues? What do we need to do to win a strong contract? Next steps at our school Chicago Teachers Union

Chicago Teachers Union Welcome Back! Our contract expired 6/30, and we still don’t have a new one. Let’s discuss a few issues that will be front and center in the next month as we push for a strong contract. When you were in 3rd grade, did you know who your 4th grade teacher would be? How about other years? How many Chicago students citywide do you think can say the same? How many students are in your class? Can you most effectively do your work with that number of students? What wraparound and other supports do our students have? What supports do they still need? Do we have a librarian? A full time nurse? A dedicated case manager? Do we have arts and music? How would our school function differently if we had all of those? What issues do our students face outside of school that impact what happens at school? What can CPS do to reduce the impact of those issues? CPS has over $1 billion more in revenue than it did just a few years ago, yet the district claims it can’t do what is standard in other districts. What do you think? Chicago Teachers Union

What is the board offering? A 5-year contract. 14% in raises over 5 years. Increases in healthcare costs. More principal control over prep periods. Silent on improving working conditions. Silent on increasing staff support such as PSRPs, counselors, social workers, librarians, nurses. Silent on limiting class sizes.

Contract timeline Fact finding is over. Fact finder agreed with CPS – and said NOTHING about staffing or other vital supports Bargaining now twice a week CPS continues to stonewall on issues that have costs and issues that don’t cost a thing (i.e. increasing the number of principal directed preps) First House of Delegates Meeting – September 4th Looks like we’ll need to take a strike authorization vote to move bargaining First possible date of a strike – September 26th

So how do we win the contract we deserve? CPS has an opportunity to reverse years of underinvestment, cuts and denying students the supports and experience they deserve. We can’t let our new Mayor, who campaigned on improving the schools and reversing years of disinvestment, squander the opportunity she’s been given. We need to talk with parents and students about what we need and why students need these supports. We can encourage parents and the public to expect more from CPS and help define what real progress would look like!

Next steps Contract Action Team CAT members regularly update each member in the building Sign up new union members Parent outreach day – Friday, September 6 before and after school Opportunity to share our contract proposals and what we are fighting for Organize for a strong Strike Authorization Vote to give our Bargaining Team maximum leverage Plan other ways to engage members, students and parents Wear red on Fridays