Posts tagged Chicago Teachers Union
Entire Chicago school board to resign over teachers union dispute with Dem mayor Brandon Johnson
October 7, 2024 // “With the shift to a hybrid elected and appointed Board forthcoming, current Board members and Mayor Johnson understand that laying a strong foundation for the shift is necessary to serve the best interests of students and families in Chicago Public Schools,” the statement added. The powerful Chicago Teachers Union said in its own statement that the resignations are the “latest instability caused by the CEO in our district.
CHICAGO: Mayor Brandon Johnson Asks CPS CEO Pedro Martinez To Resign. Martinez Says No, Sources Say
September 26, 2024 // ohnson’s desire to replace Martinez comes after he pushed school district leaders to take out a short-term loan to cover a pension payment for non-teaching staff and new costs related to the yet-to-be-settled Chicago Teachers Union contract. It also comes as school district leaders are in tense contract negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union. The mayor is also struggling to address looming deficits to the city budget he now oversees. Those deficits are driven, in part, by the CPS administration and school board’s refusal to take out the short-term loan.
Government Unions are Down — But Not Out
September 10, 2024 // For nearly a decade, the Commonwealth Foundation has tracked state-by-state changes in labor laws. Every two years, the Commonwealth Foundation releases its research on the ever-changing legal landscape for public sector unions, assessing each state’s efforts to promote public employees’ rights or cave to unions’ entrenched influence. This fourth edition examines government unions’ attempts, following Janus, to hold onto and expand special legal privileges under state laws. The research also highlights the states reining in government unions’ power and influence by empowering workers.
Chicago teachers union locks 320,000 kids out of class so they can be indoctrinated by the DNC
August 23, 2024 // That’s right: 320,000 students are being kept out of school so they can watch a political party talk about the importance of education. Teachers are still expected to report to work for professional development days, and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is busing teachers to Soldier Field on Thursday night to watch Harris’ acceptance speech on the big screen.
Chicago teachers’ union claim that Black kids cannot pass standardized tests doesn’t go over well with mom
August 14, 2024 // Stacy Davis Gates, president of the Chicago Teachers Union and executive vice president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, was asked by a Black radio station last week about public school students' declining reading and math scores. Specifically, criticism that Gates was advocating to boost teachers' contracts with money that would be better served addressing student achievement. She responded that gauging student achievement through testing was the problem.
Chicago Teachers Union funds 3 in 5 Chicago aldermen, with big bucks to Socialists
August 11, 2024 // The Chicago Teachers Union has funneled over $850,000 to the political committees of 30 of the 50 current Chicago aldermen since 2010. Seven Socialists received the most money. Taking in the most was Jeanette Taylor, Ward 20’s progressive Socialist alderwoman, who has collected over $139,000 from CTU since 2010, according Illinois State Board of Elections records. Following her was Byron Sigcho Lopez, Ward 25’s progressive Socialist alderman, who has received nearly $107,000 from CTU. Of the 20 aldermen who have not received money from CTU since 2010, only one-quarter of them were progressives and none were Socialists.
Illinois Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Teachers spend a lot, but not on teachers
August 8, 2024 // The federal filings of the Illinois Federation of Teachers and its national affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers, reveal questionable spending, with little spent on representing teachers, millions spent on politics and deficit spending while the big boss got $500K.
Billboard campaign spotlights Oregon union’s flirtation with socialism
August 2, 2024 // What many teachers paying monthly dues to the Oregon Education Association (OEA) may not know is that their union has opened its doors to the nation’s foremost socialist group, allowing DSA to hold monthly meetings in OEA’s Salem office, as reported by the Freedom Foundation’s Research & Government Affairs Associate Ben Straka earlier this year. To inform Salem educators about the questionable use of their dues-funded union headquarters, the Freedom Foundation’s Oregon team developed and positioned billboards in the area, announcing: “OEA
Chicago Teachers Union Pushes Progressive Ideology in Negotiations
June 27, 2024 // Critics, including the Illinois Policy Insititute, scrutinized the CTU’s agenda, highlighting a focus on progressive causes rather than educational priorities or teacher welfare. The union’s demands include mandates for a 100% electric bus fleet, adding solar panels to facilities, and going “carbon neutral” by 2035, all in the name of “climate justice.” Additionally, the union advocates for policies that would prevent teachers from sharing students’ gender identities with parents and require all school wellness staff to complete annual training on LGBTQ+ issues. The union pushed for the district to provide 100% coverage for abortions (including out-of-state travel if Illinois restricts abortion), allocate $2,000 for each student seeking asylum, and use schools as homeless shelters. Brigette Herbst, senior organizing director at AFFT, believes there are more relevant issues facing Chicago Public Schools that the union should address instead. “In 2023 only 27% of Illinois students were proficient in math. 90% of schools in Illinois report staffing shortages. These are real issues that should have the focus of the union and the school administration,” said Herbst. “Perhaps it’s time the union starts putting the obvious needs of students and teachers first instead of this constant focus on social issues and politics.”
CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION GIVES NEARLY $1.3M TO SITTING ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS
June 10, 2024 // Since 2010, CTU has funded the political committees of 84 of 177 lawmakers currently in the Illinois General Assembly. When you look at just Democrats, it is 72% – nearly half from outside Chicago. Nearly half of current Illinois state lawmakers have received money from the Chicago Teachers Union – with nearly half of them from outside Chicago. When you look at just Democrats, it’s nearly 3 of 4 sitting lawmakers who’ve received CTU cash.