Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for September 1, 2007 THE 4% SOLUTION

Looks like 4% is the going rate...

It worked locally in Murphysboro and maybe locked down Chicago for the next 5 years.

Hmmmmmm...

City schools, union reach tentative pact
LABOR | Teachers would get 4%

BY KATE N. GROSSMAN Education Reporter

A tentative contract deal between Chicago teachers and school officials includes 4 percent annual raises over five years and no change in the length of the school day, a source told the Chicago Sun-Times on Wednesday.

The deal, reached late Tuesday, clears the way for Chicago public schools to start Sept. 4 without the threat of a strike. The deal still requires approval by Chicago Teachers Union members.

Refused to give details

“No one wanted a strike,” a beaming CTU President Marilyn Stewart said Wednesday. “We’re happy to announce that hopefully schools will open on time.”

Both sides refused to disclose details of the deal, at the union’s request, until members get a first look at a meeting planned for Friday. But Stewart suggested annual raises are more than 3 percent — a rate she previously dismissed as unacceptable.

When asked if the agreement called for more, she said, with a smile, “Presumably, yes.” Another source confirmed the agreement includes 4 percent annual raises over five years.

Longer school day nixed

The current contract expired June 30. That four-year deal called for annual 4 percent raises and higher health care costs.

This time, CPS pushed to add 45 minutes to Chicago’s school day but Mayor Daley made it clear Wednesday that CPS came up short.

“We didn’t get the extra time, and that concerns all of us,” Daley said. “We’re going to be still talking to the teachers union about that because six hours a day — and five hours and 30 minutes of instruction — is not much.”

Schools CEO Arne Duncan hailed the agreement, calling it “great news.” He praised the union for its professionalism.

Without being specific, Stewart said the deal “restored aspects of the contract that were taken out in the last agreement.” This likely refers to amending a provision added in 2003 that makes it easier for principals to dismiss non-tenured teachers, a change Stewart has railed against. The union has previously cited that as a strike issue.

Stewart predicted teachers will go for the deal: “We didn’t get everything we needed but we got enough that I think the tentative agreement will pass,” she said. “We believe this agreement will restore stability to our schools, prevent the high turnover of teachers, and, if approved, keep salaries competitive, attract new teachers and retain experienced teachers.”

Union to vote

Ratification of a final agreement requires three union votes. Two votes will be taken Friday. The union’s 75-member executive committee will make a recommendation, and then the House of Delegates, which includes members from every school, will vote. All 32,000 members will then vote, probably on Sept. 10.

Four years ago, a tentative agreement was rejected by union members, sending the sides back to the bargaining table. An agreement ultimately passed in November, narrowly averting a strike. The last Chicago Public Schools teachers strike was in 1987.

Contributing: Fran Spielman