Chicago Teachers Union petitions for final contract demands Wednesday

CHICAGO — The Chicago Teachers Union is back at CPS headquarters Wednesday with what they say is the best contract deal they can get.

CTU leadership says it wants to avoid a messy fight, which of course could mean a teachers strike.

The teachers’ union is dropping off petitions signed by thousands of CPS educators they say support their “five must haves” in the new teachers contract. They are hoping to get it before the board votes on its budget amendment later this month.

“Maybe we all pressure Pedro (Martinez) for a March 20th resolution to this contract, so we don’t have to think about the unthinkable,” said CTU President Stacy Davis Gates.

CTU members and supporters rallied Tuesday in support of what they are calling their “five must haves”. They have to do with class size, improvement to its teacher evaluation process, better compensation for veteran teachers and more planning time for teachers — along with enrichment time for students.

The union says they plan to tell CPS Wednesday this is the best deal the district is going to get.

Legally, CTU could strike later this month after a 10-day notice.

CPS continues to say they are working hard to reach a contract that both recognizes educators’ needs, but also mindful of its budgetary limitations.

The CTU president says she has been a very patient negotiator. A strike, of course, could leave parents scrambling for childcare.

“I live a real mom life. So, I’m trying like hell to honor that because I know how difficult it is. I need that pressure to be placed on our CEO, who is not a mom, by the way, so he may not understand the debt of that. I need people to put pressure on him to settle this,” Davis Gates said.

The two sides continue to meet nearly every day to try and hammer out a contract.