Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates to meet next Wednesday, October 19, in the next step towards ratification or rejection of the proposed contract...
Dozens of CTU delegates take the state to surround union president Karen Lewis when she holds a press conference following a House of Delegates vote. Catalyst photo.The Chicago Teachers Union's (roughly) 800-member House of Delegates will meet next Wednesday, October 19, 2016, at the Holiday Inn Mart Plaza beginning at four o'clock. The meeting will be preceded by a "Tele Town Hall" on Monday, October 17, at which the union's leaders have promised to try and explain the proposed contract that they brought in at the last hour, preventing a strike that was scheduled to begin on October 11, 2016.
The House of Delegates votes to make a recommendation on whether the union's 28,000 members should accept or reject the proposed contract. Only a favorable vote of the members in the referendum can officially adopt the contract for the union.
CTU PRESS RELEASE ON OCTOBER 12, 2016...
Chicago Teachers Union Delegates to review tentative agreement and decide if it warrants a full vote by teachers and other educators
NEWS ADVISORY, IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Stephanie Gadlin
October 12, 2016 312-329-6250
CHICAGO-The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and its House of Delegates (HOD) will review the October 10th tentative agreement with the Board of Education and determine if it warrants a full vote by teachers, paraprofessionals and clinicians. Historically, the House had the only power to call off a strike, but this year delegates agreed that if an tentative offer was accepted by its bargaining team that Union leaders could halt a strike. Teachers had vowed to cease working on Tuesday, October 11th, .
WHO: CTU officers, Karen Lewis, Jesse Sharkey, Michael Brunson, Maria Moreno, members of the union's contract bargaining team, school delegates and others.
WHAT: Will discuss the ruling of the CUT House of Delegates after hundreds of school leaders who represent nearly every CPS school building have reviewed the tentative agreement. The HOD will then vote to pass the offer for ratification CTU's full membership of over 28,000 active educators.
WHEN: Wednesday, October 19, 2016
6:00 pm. (*approximate time of press availability)
WHERE: Holiday Inn Mart Plaza
350 N. Orleans, 14th Floor
WHY: According to the CTU constitution, the Union's ruling body must approve any tentative offer before it is sent to the full membership for a ratification vote. If the HOD rejects the offer, the CTU bargaining team must go back to the table with CPS. Delegates would then set a new strike date. However, if the offer is approved, it is sent to the full membership for a ratification vote. Votes would be conducted in every CPS building with CTU members. The Union's Rules & Election Committee would determine the voting process. The HOD meeting is open only to CTU members and school delegates. It is closed to members of the press and general public.
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The Chicago Teachers Union represents nearly 30,000 teachers and educational support personnel working in the Chicago Public Schools, and by extension, the more than 400,000 students and families they serve. The CTU is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Federation of Teachers and is the third largest teachers local in the United States and the largest local union in Illinois. For more information please visit CTU's website at www.ctunet.com.
By: George Cruz
You Negotiated What in the TA?
I hope it's DejaVu all over again as was with Debbie Lynch in 2003 and the House of Delegates votes down the TA! To be fair there are some decent parts to this contract. But when you consider we had two years to hammer out the details and address the issues and concerns that mean so much to CTU members, there is no excuse for not addressing those concerns.
I find it strange that within the CTU TA proposal, there is a clause for granting teachers a residential parking permit to park their vehicles in permit zones. So your trying to tell me the CTU took actual time to come up with this clause but couldn't address the issues of an unfair REACH evaluation, hiring additional clinicians, ensuring job security during these turbulent times. But when it comes to parking permits, IT'S A HIGH PRIORITY FOR THE CTU LEADERSHIP???
This only proves the disconnect they have with the working conditions with it's own members! Even on Chicago Tonight Lewis described how a member from the big bargaining team told her this was the worst contract in union history and she disregarded his concern and warning! A real leader, would've backed up and regrouped with her members and if need be take an additional day or two to continuing bargaining in order to get those concerns addressed in the TA. After all, CPS made the CTU members wait two full years for a TA agreement. I think the CTU could've made them wait a mere two days!