Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson | cps.edu
Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson | cps.edu
Periods seem to be difficult to write on an agreement between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union. For months during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been commas, ellipsis, and strikethroughs.
According to Wirepoints, the disagreement between CPS and the CTU over closed schools has been hurting Chicago students, and the Illinois Collective bargaining law seems abused by the union.
It has been more than two months since Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson stated that “If [teachers] don’t show up to work, it will be handled the same way it’s handled in any other situation where an employee fails to come to work.” The teachers have so far escaped consequences.
The reopening of in-person classes has been delayed several more times as teachers continue to make a firm stand against proposals offered to them.
Recently, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said that she is giving her “last, best, and final offer” to the union.
It’s now almost mid-February and no agreement has been finalized while the academic year is nearing its end.
This does not come as a surprise to Wirepoints staff who noted that Lightfoot is repeating the city's decades-long history of yielding to the union.
According to Wirepoints, since 2012, the union’s actions have been to make demands, execute strikes, and get their demands met without compromise.
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