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Chicago Tribune
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: Is CTU's playbook coming to a school district near you, Illinoisans?
Most Illinoisans think CTU-style teachers union tactics are limited to Chicago. But will that stay the case? In an estimated 52 school districts across Illinois, contracts with unions affiliated with the Illinois Federation of Teachers are expiring this year. Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates serves as executive vice president at the IFT. So is there reason to worry that other IFT affiliates will adopt Chicago's aggressive 'bargaining for the common good' model? Here's some background. Local teachers unions fall under the umbrella of state- and national-level unions. For example, CTU Local 1 is an affiliate of IFT. IFT is the state affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, which is one of the two major national teachers unions, the other being the National Education Association. While both are aligned with Democratic causes, AFT is generally more progressive and politically aggressive. Its longtime president, Randi Weingarten, is a political lightning rod. IFT has affiliates all over the state, including Chicago, Quincy, East St. Louis and Peoria, as well as a number of Chicago suburbs. IFT doesn't run local contract negotiations but heavily influences them by providing legal, financial, tactical and ideological support. The Illinois Policy Institute, which analyzed districts' affiliations and negotiation schedules, has argued these districts should be prepared for aggressive negotiation tactics. That's a reasonable concern. After all, we just lived through the most recent CTU contract negotiation, which featured repeated CTU-encouraged attempts by Mayor Brandon Johnson, former CTU organizer and staunch union ally, to fire the CEO of Chicago Public Schools. That CEO, Pedro Martinez, had the temerity to refuse to give in to every one of the union's demands. We still haven't forgotten the tensions that arose from previous negotiations, especially in 2012 when this militant version of the CTU first emerged, waging a prolonged, large-scale strike that saw teachers and CTU supporters take en masse to the streets. More recently, as the latest contract negotiations were just beginning, Davis Gates half-jokingly informed a March 2024 City Club of Chicago audience that the city's moneyed interests ought to be prepared to pony up '$50 billion and 3 cents' to pay for the union's demands. It struck us as poignant that Davis Gates returned to the City Club Monday making similar statements, albeit with somewhat less bravado. What a difference a year makes. The CTU president's extreme message increasingly is falling on deaf ears. The mayor she played such an important role in electing in 2023 is unpopular and struggling to wrangle the City Council to support his priorities. Chicagoans last year elected their own school board members for the first time ever, and CTU's endorsed candidates fared poorly. In short, a union that turned itself into a political machine is itself unpopular and significantly weakened. Teachers unions once could count on majority support from the public. CTU's favorables are well under water, testifying to just how much the union has overreached. On Monday, Davis Gates didn't do herself or her cause any favors with provocative messaging about how Chicago's children are CTU's kids, too. That sort of rhetoric might land better coming from a more traditional teachers union focused mainly on the classroom, but not from this messianic group of ultra-leftists. She also showed a continued disregard for CPS' dismal fiscal situation, pushing once again for reckless borrowing to plug a $529 million budget deficit for the fiscal year that begins July 1. 'These are not math problems,' she said. Actually, they are math problems. And the union's refusal to face hard numbers contributes to the district's ongoing fiscal strain, which ultimately affects classroom conditions. CTU's 'bargaining for the common good' approach extends well beyond wages and benefits. The union's recent demands included climate initiatives like solar panels and electric buses, 10,000 affordable housing units, police-free schools and limits on charter schools — a sweeping political agenda inappropriately sought through union negotiations. In the end — in no small part due to the Chicago voters' rejection of CTU's agenda via the November school board elections — CPS teachers ratified a contract that largely mirrored what CPS leadership had offered for months. Union members' unfortunate reelection a few months ago of Davis Gates as their president only makes it highly likely we'll revisit this radical agenda four years from now in yet another fraught contract negotiation. So here's where we differ with the Illinois Policy argument. We just can't imagine the CTU agenda playing with either school boards or the broader communities in the suburbs and downstate. Time will tell. What will bargaining for the common good look like in downstate Joppa, where an IFT affiliate represents local teachers? That district sits in Massac County, along the Kentucky state line, where 74% of votes cast in 2024 went to President Donald Trump. Or Quincy School District 172, where Trump won nearly 73% of the 2024 vote. 'Trump has picked his side. … He is here to win the relitigation of the Civil War and finish the work of the Confederacy,' Davis Gates said Monday. Equating support for Trump with Confederate sympathizing is inflammatory and likely to alienate residents in the very communities where IFT affiliates will be bargaining. The point we're making is that there's a mismatch between IFT's modus operandi and the politics of many of the suburban and downstate districts where they'll be negotiating soon. Still, in many conservative areas, schools are among the largest employers, making it likelier that, at least on the wages and benefits side of contract negotiations, IFT's influence could mean significant costs for suburban and downstate taxpayers. Downstate teachers aren't nearly as well compensated as Chicago teachers. The median CPS teacher will be paid $98,000 next year. So as these negotiations begin in places politically and culturally distinct from Chicago, local taxpayers and school boards would be wise to pay attention. Attend school board meetings. Ask questions. And learn from Chicago's example.
New York Post
25-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Chicago Teachers Union president suggests children belong to the school system
Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) President Stacy Davis Gates said that children belong to them while delivering a speech at the City Club of Chicago. 'Baldwin says the children are always ours. Every single one of them, all over the globe. And what comes next is 'CTU thinks your children are its children.' Yes, we do. We do. We do,' Davis Gates said on Monday. Davis Gates cited James Baldwin, a prominent writer and civil rights activist. Davis Gates went on to say, ''CTU thinks all children belong to it. And they're a socialist conspiracy ideology.' Well, I don't know about all that, but we like children. We educate them, we nurture them, we protect them, we support them, we negotiate for them, we create space for them. We even have them in our homes.' Davis Gates was invited to deliver an address at the City Club of Chicago, a public forum where prominent government officials and influential figures speak. Since it was founded in 1903, the forum has hosted speakers from both sides of the political aisle, including President Donald Trump, former President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Mike Pence. 5 Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates speaks at a rally in Chicago, Illinois, on Oct. 7, 2023. Getty Images The Chicago Teachers Union did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Corey DeAngelis, a senior fellow at the American Culture Project and school choice advocate, told Fox News Digital that Chicago's public school system is performing poorly. 'The irony is glaring: if the CTU were a parent, it would lose custody for educational neglect and abuse, given the catastrophic failure of Chicago's public schools,' DeAngelis said. 5 Davis Gates leads a rally with other protesters during the Nationwide May Day Strong Rally on May 1, 2025. Getty Images for May Day Strong Davis Gates previously made headlines for making controversial claims criticizing school choice policies and conservatives. Last year, she told a news radio host that conservatives do not want Black children to read, adding that it is 'part of the oath they take to be right wing.' During contract negotiations with Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Teachers Union reportedly called for over $50 billion to pay for wage hikes along with several other demands. 5 Students arrive for classes at AN Pritzker Elementary School on Jan. 12, 2022. Getty Images 5 A sign for the Chicago Public Schools is displayed on the district's headquarters. Getty Images To put the figure into context, the total base tax receipts for the state of Illinois last year were $50.7 billion. Davis Gates' remarks and CTU contract demands came amid Chicago's enrollment crisis. The Windy City currently faces enrollment struggles with a high price tag for the small number of students attending class. A report authored by ChalkBeat and ProPublica found that 47 schools are operating 'at less than one-third capacity, leading to high costs and limited course offerings.' 5 Students at Nettelhorst Elementary School grab food from a salad bar on March 20, 2006. Getty Images Chicago Public Schools had roughly 325,000 students enrolled this year after losing 70,000 students from a decade ago, according to the report. While the city faces enrollment struggles, the city spends about $18,700 per student. Some schools are 'double or triple' that number, the report stated. Frederick Douglass Academy High School, which enrolled 28 students, costs $93,000 per student, the report also showed. The Chicago Teachers Union did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Fox News' Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
Chicago Tribune
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
CTU President Stacy Davis Gates rebukes Trump administration, urges district to prioritize union contract
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates delivered a scathing rebuke of the Trump administration Monday while urging the district officials to prioritize the union's new $1.5 billion four-year contract and other investments in public education. Questions surrounding the future of the nation's fourth-largest school district should transcend any budgetary shortfalls, Davis Gates told a packed audience at the City Club of Chicago. Several attendees donned red CTU shirts. 'These are not math problems. These are choices between whether students get a math teacher or chemistry teacher or nothing at all,' Davis Gates said. 'Make no mistake, what's happening in (Chicago Public Schools) is connected to a larger national agenda to strip public education down to its bare bones.' CPS is facing a $529 million deficit for fiscal year 2026, which begins July 1. Despite the looming deadline, school officials have yet to outline a plan on how to balance the budget. The district also relies on millions of federal grants and reimbursements, which are now in limbo under the Trump administration. 'Donald Trump is dismantling the idea of the common good and community,' Davis Gates said. Over the course of her hourlong speech, she drew parallels between the Reconstruction Era and the modern challenges of public education. The first reconstruction came after the Civil War, and the second amid the Civil Rights Movement. Now, Davis Gates said, Chicago is on the verge of a third reconstruction as it seeks equity in its schools and in funding. Davis Gates has helmed the union since July 2022, representing nearly 30,000 teachers, paraprofessionals and school personnel. In May, she was reelected with 64% of the vote, securing another three-year term on the heels of the union's recently-ratified contract. The contract was settled after nearly a year of bitter back-and-forth between CTU, a close ally of Mayor Brandon Johnson, and district officials. Former schools chief Pedro Martinez had refused the mayor's request to take out a $300 million loan to in part cover the proposed bargaining agreement. Martinez, who was fired in December, left the district this month. CPS maintains there is enough money to cover the first year of the contract, but still hasn't addressed how it plans to finance the contract over the next three. When Martinez floated the idea of delaying parts of the contract given the district's financial situation, Davis Gates threatened to sue the Chicago Board of Education for unfair labor practices. Davis Gates again pushed back against any spending reductions Monday. 'It's $529 million, it's $1.2 billion but it's never about what budgets are about,' Davis Gates said. 'The budget and its choices manifest into real impact that our young people get to experience.' CPS interim President Macquline King is set to lead her first Board of Education meeting Thursday. At the end of the summer, CPS board members could be forced to make millions of spending reductions to shore up the budget, according to an April presentation given to board members and obtained by the Tribune. The proposed reductions include cuts to the central administrative office and downsizing at individual schools. They could also eliminate more than 1,600 positions. Meanwhile, the federal government launched an investigation in April related to allegations of discrimination in CPS' Black Student Success Plan. Davis Gates condemned the president's attacks on education and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the nation. 'Trump has picked his side. … He is here to win the relitigation of the Civil War and finish the work of the Confederacy,' Davis Gates said. The path through the chaos, she said, lies in the solidarity coursing through CTU members and throughout Chicago. 'If you lead in the way that I lead, you have zero time for anything but organizing our neighbors, protecting our democracy and resisting chaos,' she said. 'We have to stay focused and clear-minded about our community.'
Chicago Tribune
04-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
CTU threatens to sue over proposed CPS budget cuts
The Chicago Teachers Union is threatening to sue the Chicago Board of Education over budget plans proposed by outgoing schools chief Pedro Martinez that it says constitute unfair labor practices and violations of the recently ratified contract. CTU President Stacy Davis Gates sent a letter to the school board on Tuesday, June 3, characterizing Martinez and his team's proposals to balance the Chicago Public Schools' 2026 fiscal budget as 'attempts at vindictive sabotage.' The new fiscal year begins on July 1. The union settled a new $1.5 billion four-year contract in late April, following a year of negotiations. CPS has said there is enough money to cover the first year of the contract, but has not specified plans for the other three. In recent weeks, CPS suggested delaying the proposals outlined in the new union contract to balance the budget for next year, given challenging financial circumstances, according to the CTU letter. Those delayed proposals would affect agreements around class size and staffing levels, the letter states, affecting English Language Learners and students with disabilities. 'To be clear, the district does not have the option of delaying investments it is contractually obligated to make under our (collective bargaining agreement), for FY26 or any other year of the agreement,' Davis Gates writes in the letter. Facing a $529 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2026, district officials pushed back. They indicated in a statement to the Tribune that they may need to review new proposals under various labor agreements to ensure long-term sustainability. Salary increases, they assured, are already in motion and included in the budget. 'If any changes to the collective bargaining agreement are needed, the District will work in partnership with our labor partners to identify solutions together,' the statement reads. The proposals in the new teachers contract include increased salaries for veteran teachers, more librarians and nurses, and mandates around class sizes, among hundreds of other asks. In the letter, Davis Gates writes that 'the terminated CEO is recommending the school district expose itself to massive legal liability by breaking these contractual promises.' She adds that the district's proposed cuts could trigger 'state investigations, monitorship, and costly compensatory services.' Ultimately, she strongly urges board members to reject Martinez's plan. Typically, when a dispute arises regarding the interpretation or enforcement of any of the proposals in a teachers contract, CTU initiates a grievance process that may be submitted to arbitration, where an impartial arbitrator makes a binding decision. But if any party believes that the contract has been violated in a manner not addressable through arbitration, they may seek legal action. Facing a $529 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2026, CPS had planned for months on how to make cuts in a way that minimizes the impact on schools. At a school board meeting last week, Martinez publicly stated that the district would attempt to make cuts at the administrative level to avoid affecting schools as much as possible. The school district released its school-level budgets on May 15, which are based on $300 million in new revenue. That still leaves $229 million in debt, and the necessity for some cuts, CPS said in its Wednesday statement. 'The proposed reductions — totaling up to 15 percent of CPS' budgets for more than 40 departments — aim to protect school funding and critical investments in District programming and operations,' the statement reads. Davis Gates, a close ally of Mayor Brandon Johnson, repeatedly attacked Martinez for his handling of the contract negotiations process. She nodded to that in Tuesday's letter, saying that his 'unfamiliarity with how contract negotiations work resulted in months of avoidable confusion, tension, and turmoil, delaying the settlement of our contract.' In the letter, she says that Martinez has gone on to brag about the accomplishments of the contract. Those are the very same measures — she says — that he is seeking to cut. Martinez is leaving the district June 18 after a long, drawn-out battle with Mayor Johnson and the union over district finances.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
CTU President Stacy Davis Gates honored at U.S. Capitol by Illinois Congresswoman Delia Ramirez
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates received congressional recognition for her dedication to educational equity in Chicago and beyond. U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-IL, the only serving Latina U.S. congresswoman in the Midwest, commended the longtime labor leader on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday morning. She called Davis Gates a friend and 'an unapologetic champion of our Chicago communities.' Ramirez has repeatedly stood up against President Donald Trump for his hard-line immigration enforcement that has affected the Chicago area. She made another strong statement Tuesday by nodding at Davis Gates' support of that work. '(Davis Gates) secured sanctuary protections for immigrant families and supported students and families experiencing homelessness, putting Chicago's children at the center of everything she does,' said Ramirez. Ramirez's announcement came just days after Davis Gates won her bid for reelection with 64% of the union membership vote. In the winter months, a slate of challengers formed to challenge the incumbent teachers union president and her contingent, arguing that the CTU wasn't practicing financial transparency and was shedding other union allies. Notably, Davis Gates' reelection followed the settlement of a teachers' contract for the first time in 15 years without a strike or a strike vote. Davis Gates repeatedly held up that accomplishment as the 'forcefield' needed to protect Chicago Public Schools from repeated probes by the federal government on the district's diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. On Tuesday, Ramirez acknowledged the precedent Davis Gates' labor work, referencing the 15-day strike that Davis Gates helped to lead in 2019 as an example of her 'bold campaigns that build schools.' In the face of federal warnings, the teachers union continues to fight against what it deems as efforts to corporatize public education. 'There is no shrinking from the fight coming from Washington and from the administration's Illinois lackeys like IPI and Paul Vallas, the local right-wing forces who spent millions attacking our leadership,' CTU said in a statement Saturday afternoon. 'The good news is, there are more workers than billionaires. We're not confused about who makes up the workforce today, where our people come from, or who we represent and are in service to,' the statement said. Ramirez also recognized Madeline Talbott and Keith Kelleher, longtime Chicago labor organizers, and Illinois teacher of the year Victor Gomez. Gomez, a six-year teacher from Wheaton, mentors other aspiring bilingual educators, according to Ramirez. 'As a fluent, bilingual, Latina daughter of immigrants, I know the importance of having teachers and mentors who look and sound like me,' Ramirez said.
