The Chicago Teachers Union is facing criticism for asking for an additional $50 billion in contract talks to fund not only salary increases but also abortion coverage in teacher health plans and support for undocumented migrants.
While the specifics of the requests have not been made public, Fox News reported on a leaked document that shows union president Stacy Davis Gates calling for a yearly 9% wage increase for members through fiscal year 2028. reported The average salary of a teacher in Chicago is $93,182, according to the IPI, as reported by Fox. Additionally, the document reveals that the union is seeking 100% coverage benefits for abortion and fertility care.
CTU’s requests also include having teachers undergo annual LGBTQ-sensitivity training and requiring every public school to have at least one gender-neutral restroom, as per Fox's report.
Furthermore, the union is also seeking $2,000 in taxpayer funding for each undocumented migrant student in the area, to assist with academics, transportation, and mental health counseling. They also want a “newcomer liaison” at all of Chicago’s nearly 650 schools to welcome new students, particularly undocumented migrants, and propose housing them in repurposed vacant school facilities.
The total cost of these requests is reportedly about $50 billion, which is roughly $700,000 less than the total base tax receipts for the entire state of Illinois, according to Fox News.
Mailee Smith, director of the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI), says that the union is “driven by self-interest.
She stated, as reported by Fox News, “These demands look more like a political agenda than a serious contract aimed at supporting teachers’ wages and benefits, and promoting the education of Chicago students. reported Fox News.
The union’s extensive demands come at a time when only published of the city’s eighth-grade students were proficient in reading at their grade level in 2022, according to Nation’s Report Card.
Smith also mentioned that 21% the union is trying to reduce the importance of teacher evaluations and performance in determining their pay and benefits.
“This is in line with their usual approach. They are not advocating for what would benefit the students the most,
Instead, they are promoting their leaders’ political agenda. We also see demands related to climate justice, social justice, $2,000 per student for asylum seekers, and housing for new teachers,
According to Block Club Chicago, the leaked demands are described as a “draft” of the union’s proposal which had not yet been ratified, reviewed, or voted upon by CTU’s House of Delegates. However, the demands seem to align with what was previously outlined in Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s change report.
Gates has stated publicly that negotiations with Johnson, who used to organize for CTU, will be less dramatic now that he's mayor. reported Block Club Chicago. As per the news outlet, public records show that the union gave $2.5 million to Johnson’s mayoral campaign.
“Anything that aims to change schools without sports programs in the fall, winter or spring will require money. We worked to introduce orchestra, band, choir and drama in all of our schools. … These are things that are not consistently available in every school community, so they will come with a cost,” the union leader explained.
Gates announced at a news conference marking the start of the union’s contract campaign last month, “Our plan is to involve the entire city of Chicago in negotiations that will take place in public. We will be inviting families, students, and Chicagoans who believe in our city to help build the best school district on earth,” reported the Chicago Sun-Times.
Teachers’ contracts will expire in June.
