Updated April 1 FAQ

Why Officers Propose an April 1 Day of Action

Dear Members:

I write to you as we face a crisis in our schools as deep as any we have seen in a generation. Please know that despite the uncertainty swirling around us, the Chicago Teachers Union will remain a steadfast and determined force in the fight for our contract, for our students and for well-funded public education. Now, as in the past, we see the powerful and wealthy undercut public education, neglect our pension fund, restrict bargaining rights and pass tax breaks for corporations and the rich. Still, they attempt to make us pay for the crisis they created. We are confident in our ability to stand up to them because we remain rooted in our schools and our communities, and we remain strong in our solidarity with one another.

April 1 Day of Action

After threatening us for a month, Chicago Public Schools retracted its promise to cut our pay 7 percent on April 1—though the district is still announcing its plan to cut the pension pickup at the conclusion of fact finding in May. Obviously, we consider the Board of Ed's retreat on this issue a victory for the CTU, but that win must be qualified by CPS’ plan to furlough employees for three days this year. The CTU, which had been seriously considering an unfair labor practice strike on April 1, is not prepared to stand down on that day—we do not trust the Board and we intend to organize a showdown on April 1 over the question of school funding and educational justice. Ultimately, our House of Delegates will decide this at its March 23 meeting. Below, you can read our answers to frequently asked questions about the proposal.

The CTU is not the only force under attack by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Gov. Bruce Rauner and the 1 percent they represent. For that reason, we will not be alone in taking action against them, as public service workers—from home health care nurses to university professors—have pledged to join our day of action. Private sector workers, such as McDonald’s employees fighting for a living wage, will also be acting in concert with our union. This is a broad-based, highly coordinated action that will raise the ante for our side just as Rahm, Rauner and CPS CEO Forrest Claypool have coordinated their attacks on us.

April 1 will also highlight our proposals for winning school funding and funding for other important services. In addition to the vocal demands we have been making about toxic swaps and tax increment financing (TIF)—swap terminations cost the district $240 million this year alone, and the TIFs could put enough money into the schools to completely reverse this year’s cuts—we are also calling for a “fair tax,” which is an increase in the income tax for the rich in Illinois. This measure would put nearly $4‑6 billion into state coffers and provide a path to pass a fair school funding formula that would add hundreds of millions of dollars to CPS.  Our calls for increased revenue for the district are now an issue on the national stage, and there is legislation pending in Springfield that would take TIF control out of the mayor's hands and force the release of these funds to our schools.

Contract Negotiations

The April 1 action with our sisters and brothers from other unions and community organizations, and our demands for revenue, are also a large part of our fight for a fair contract. The CTU is demanding that the Board turn from its current course of job cutting, privatizing, over-testing and charter growth. Our bargaining committee—which consists of 47 rank-and-file educators—has set forth three items as the basis for recommending a deal to the CTU membership. We are bargaining for:

(1) Class-size and staff-to-student guarantees. Only guaranteed class size limits and caseloads for clinicians can provide the necessary support our children need in their classrooms and guard against devastating layoffs.

(2) No cuts. We are not looking for a large raise, but educators cannot see our pay and benefits reduced while the wealthiest people and institutions in the state are let off the hook.

(3) Close the loopholes in the promises CPS already made. Last month, the Board offered several promises that we find valuable. Included was a pledge of no economic layoffs; a promise to cap charter schools; a promise to improve REACH and make it less punitive; a moratorium on school closings; a promise to relieve counselors of case management duties; and improvements in areas of lesson planning, paperwork, testing and other aspects of our working conditions. These are all demands which we think are important. Unfortunately, some of the most valuable promises are unenforceable as written, or can be circumvented by state law. We call on the Board to close the loopholes and work with the CTU to change state law where necessary—for example, to abolish the Illinois State Charter School Commission, which voted two weeks ago to overrule three charter school closures mandated by CPS.

So why won’t Emanuel or his handpicked school board give us a contract on these terms—especially when he is suffering many political setbacks and can ill afford a strike? Unfortunately for the mayor, after a career of attacking workers, he now finds himself being attacked by Rauner. The mayor needs Springfield to pass some kind of budget relief for CPS, but the governor appears determined to provoke an even larger fiscal crisis so that he can take control of CPS himself.

Political Action

The power of our collective action and resolve is undeniable. For example, our Elected Representative School Board bill, HB557, was passed overwhelmingly in the House on March 3 by a vote of 110 to 4. Additionally HB4579, which provides that a separate tax shall be levied by the Chicago Board of Education to guarantee contributions to the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund, passed by an impressive 98-14 vote. Now both bills head to the Senate where we will have to continue to push our legislators to abide by the will of the people. Despite our advances, the district continues its attack on our livelihood and we must continue to fight. Tomorrow, we have  a number of leaders who need our collective strength at the polls, so please be sure to vote.  

Now is the time for us to fight for what we value. The CTU stands as a critical force in position to stop vicious attacks on public services and public education in this state. We are the most influential voice on public education,  outpolling the mayor by a 3:1 margin on matters of education in Chicago. Our tasks may be daunting, but if we fight, we will inspire the public and become part of a larger movement that can win funding for our schools. Ultimately, that is our best hope for defending public education.

In solidarity,
Karen GJ Lewis, NBCT

What kind of action is this?

Are we playing an April Fools’ prank on the mayor and the governor?

Why now?

Why a one-day job action?

Is a one-day work action illegal?

What are possible negative repercussions?

What happens to our insurance in a one-day job action?