Chicago Public School (CPS) students in elementary schools across the city are supposed to return to school on Feb. 1, but teachers that are part of the Chicago Teachers’ Union (CTU) are refusing to return for in-person learning.
The union voted to defy the reopening plans and refused to return to school on Jan. 25. The school system then opted to allow teachers to return on Jan. 27 but said if they didn’t return by then, it would be considered an unauthorized strike, according to the Illinois Public Policy Institute.
“Here’s what I’m hearing from residents all around the city and from parents in particular: If we don’t have stability in the public school system, why should we stay in Chicago? If we have to worry about lockouts and strikes, particularly after a historic contract where everyone thought we had bought labor peace for five years, people vote with their feet,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot told the Chicago Tribune.
Lightfoot said a strike will harm students in the school system.
In 2019, CTU and CPS reached an agreement after a two-week strike.
Currently, under the state’s labor law, CPS teachers and staff are not allowed to strike when there is a collective bargaining agreement in place and it will be considered an illegal strike.
Illinois Public Policy Institute reported that refusing to report to work in person may not be identified as an official strike by the union, even if it would look like one. It notes that it is a gray area that needs resolution by the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board.
The city meets the metrics that have been put in place by health officials for reopening in-person learning, and CPS has agreed with the union on major health and safety protocols, but teachers and staff are still not ready to return to in-person learning.
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