Chicago teachers asking for 30% raises over next 2 years

Barbara Radner, director of DePaul University's Center for Urban Education, described the proposal as "unprecedented" and "really bold" but predicted it wouldn't go over well among the general public.

"Union members will say: 'Yeah. Stand up for us,'" she said. "But in terms of public relations, everyone else will say, 'Is that a typo?'"

The proposal also calls for the Board of Education to assign at least one art teacher, one music teacher, one librarian and one physical education teacher to each school.

CPS spokeswoman Becky Carroll declined to talk about the union's proposal or say what the district has offered in return.

New legislation supported by the mayor and signed by the governor last summer will make it harder for the union to strike. It also allowed CPS to impose a longer school day without union approval.

Under mounting budget pressure, the school board rescinded the 4 percent raises CPS teachers were to get this school year under the current contact, which expires June 30. At a time when CPS' new leadership team under Emanuel was aggressively pushing through the longer school day plan, the school board's vote sparked outcry from the union and their supporters. 

The two sides eventually negotiated a truce: The union ended its legal battle against the extended day, and CPS agreed to stop offering schools and teachers financial incentives to vote to start it this school year. By then, a majority of teachers in 13 traditional CPS schools approved waivers to lengthen the day this school year.

Though it's early in the negotiating process, union officials say they have already been treated with "disrespect" by CPS.

In a memo to union members last month, Lewis said a negotiator for CPS "rudely" referred to the CTU's 40-member negotiating team as "the audience" as the two sides began discussions. According to the CTU memo, the board's proposals include limiting prep periods and adding additional instructional duties for teachers. There was no mention of salary demands by the union.

"Instead of reaching across the aisle … you have decided to gut our contract of provisions," Lewis is quoted as having told the board's negotiators. "Instead of collective bargaining, which you claim to respect," the union's efforts have basically amounted to "collective begging."

"(Negotiations) started a little rocky," said CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey. "I think it would be unwise to characterize it too definitively one way or the other. But things can get heated in the bargaining room."

Meanwhile, union leaders are urging teachers to save their money in the event they call for a strike before the start of next school year. The union is offering a special savings plan at a local credit union. A flier with a photo of Chicago teachers on strike in 1987 suggests teachers invest a small percentage of their salaries over the next six months for a "potential emergency."

Sharkey said it's important the public not read too much into the newly created savings plan.

"This exact kind of an account is a way to provide members with a way to provide an insurance if things don't go well," Sharkey said. "Negotiations are early, and it's too early to make predictions about how it may end up. But these are tough negotiations. It's just not uncommon to start a contract negotiation by advising our members to be ready for anything."

At a news conference Thursday at union headquarters, Lewis presented the union's vision for improving CPS, a lengthy critique of district policies ranging from class sizes to school spending.

Flanked by educators and community organizations such as Parents United for Responsible Education, Lewis said the city has the tax base to properly support public education. She called for nearly $800 million in new funding directed to CPS by raising taxes on the wealthiest Chicagoans, closing tax loopholes for corporations, instituting a 6-cent premium on certain financial transactions and steering as much as $159 million in unallocated tax increment funding to the district.

The windfall is expected to cover the $713 million the union wants to reduce class sizes, add full-day kindergarten districtwide and increase and improve social services such as school nurses and psychologists.

The report also calls for expanding art, dance, music and world language classes — a point the CTU has made often during debate over the longer school day. It also proposes a library for each school, better facilities for schools regardless of ZIP code and addressing the high number of minority students who receive the harshest discipline.

Lewis said the report came as a result of questions raised about how the CTU proposed to improve urban education. She said the report was recently completed and was unwilling to connect the timing of the report to the current negotiations. 

She said the report tried to identify $796 million in potential funds, such as money slated for turnaround schools and charters.

"It's not about the money," Lewis said. "It's about the priorities. There is money. It is what you decide to do with it."

Carol Caref, CTU's lead researcher who prepared the report, said dropping class sizes in kindergarten through third grade would cost the district $170 million.

"This is a drop in the bucket for the CPS budget," Caref said. "It's a small price to pay for something so important."