The Chicago Lecturers Union warned Thursday that an arbitrator who will situation suggestions within the ongoing contract battle between the union and Chicago Public Colleges is restricted by legislation in what he can take into account and that it’ll seemingly reject his findings, paving the best way for a possible strike vote.
CTU leaders say the legislation is “stacked towards” the union and has develop into a perfunctory step.
“It’s deeply irritating [to be at this point],” mentioned CTU President Stacy Davis Gates. “To drive our hand to take a strike vote is a really merciless and imply joke.”
State legislation requires that an arbitrator be referred to as in earlier than the CTU can transfer to strike. The arbitrator, referred to as a reality finder, is listening to from either side this week and is predicted to situation suggestions in early February.
The 2 sides have 15 days to resolve whether or not to reject or settle for the findings. Although the union should wait 30 days to really strike, it may possibly take a strike vote any time after rejecting the findings.
CPS CEO Pedro Martinez mentioned he doesn’t assume the varsity district is transferring towards a strike however mentioned he’s fearful mother and father are getting annoyed with the bickering between the varsity district and the union. Martinez mentioned he hoped the arbitrator would assist either side agree on a “mutual set of info to allow them to transfer ahead in a productive manner.”
Martinez and his crew mentioned they anticipated that the very fact finder would agree with their evaluation that the varsity district doesn’t have the cash to satisfy contract calls for for issues like further employees and wage will increase for veteran lecturers.
Davis Gates has been accusing Martinez of being a serious roadblock to getting a contract performed, particularly for the reason that board voted final month to hearth him, efficient in June. She mentioned the union approached negotiations in a different way this spherical than previously, believing that its positions have been aligned with the mayor and the varsity board.
Either side say they’ve agreed on some large gadgets, together with well being care provisions for workers, extra planning time for particular schooling employees and extra employees to serve bilingual college students. However they’ve but to return to settlement on raises for lecturers, class-size caps for center college college students and a few key noneconomic points necessary to lecturers, similar to planning time and evaluations.
The varsity district has supplied 4% raises every year for the four-year contract. CTU desires 5% the primary two years and 4% in years 3 and 4. The union additionally desires extra veteran lecturers to get wage will increase based mostly on expertise, a proposal that CPS has so far rejected.
In previous contract cycles, one or each events have rejected the very fact finder’s findings.
CTU deputy normal Thad Goodchild mentioned the legislation calling for reality discovering was written by former mayoral foe Rahm Emanuel, who ensured it was advantageous to the varsity district. For instance, it instructs the very fact finder to match the wage provide for CTU employees with these within the 10 largest college districts within the U.S., “4 of that are in non-union college districts in Proper to Work Republican states,” Goodchild mentioned.
The legislation additionally instructs the very fact finder to solely take into account whether or not the varsity district has the “monetary skill to fund the proposals based mostly on the prevailing obtainable assets, guaranteeing that such skill isn’t based mostly on assumptions of the traces of credit score, reserve funds, or the expectations of receiving new or elevated sources of income.”
CTU researcher Pavlyn Jankov mentioned these limits on what the arbitrator can take into account make no sense. “So, the district truly desires the very fact finder to solely take a look at what’s within the checking account proper now, which is like deciding when you will pay lease based mostly on what’s in your pocketbook reasonably than in your subsequent paycheck,” he mentioned.
He maintains that the varsity district is in an excellent monetary place to make some commitments. He says the varsity district has a wholesome fund stability, has the capability to borrow extra, must be getting extra money from the state and, over the subsequent few years, is anticipating lots of of hundreds of thousands from particular taxing districts referred to as TIFs.
However CPS officers say they’re going through finances deficits of a minimum of $500 million within the years forward and that the district already is paying an excessive amount of in curiosity to banks for previous borrowing. CPS Chief Expertise Officer Ben Felton mentioned that if the district makes extra commitments within the contract, there will probably be penalties.
“If we agreed to their proposals, we might be jeopardizing the roles of the prevailing employees members that we’ve got,” he mentioned. “We won’t set ourselves up so as to add employees with one hand after which lay off or furlough our present employees who’ve been within the classroom for years, doing the work every single day on behalf of youngsters. … We’ve reached our capability so as to add extra employees and so as to add extra wage. We merely can not afford to do greater than that.”
Sarah Karp covers schooling for WBEZ. Observe her on X @WBEZeducation and @sskedreporter.
