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Mailee Smith, senior director of Labor Policy for the Illinois
Policy Institute, said the union’s terms include teachers taking
up to a year off to work for the CTU Foundation or in municipal
government.
“Having teachers outside the classroom is not what is best for
students. This is a union power play to gain workers for their
own pet projects, while guaranteeing that those workers will
still get a pension paid for by taxpayers,” Smith said.
The union has also proposed that the Chicago Public Schools
Board should secure free fares on Chicago Transit Authority
trains and buses for all CPS students and employees. Smith
wondered where the money would come from.
“That’s over 130 million tickets at over $122 million,” Smith
said.
The CTU’s demand comes as the CTA faces a major fiscal cliff in
2026.
“That’s in addition to other demands that the union is making,
such as a 100% electric bus fleet to get kids to school, so they
are approaching this transit from all different types of
expensive angles,” Smith said.
The transit terms are part of a proposal which features 9%
annual raises and added time off for CTU members.
The existing collective bargaining agreement between CPS and CTU
expires in June.
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