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* The status of HB2275 looks harmless enough…
Amends the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act. Removes language concerning impasse procedures involving an educational employer whose territorial boundaries are coterminous with those of a city having a population in excess of 500,000. Repeals provisions concerning subjects of collective bargaining with that educational employer.
The bill cleared the full House last week 73-35.
* Way down at the bottom of the bill…
The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act is amended by repealing Section 4.5.
What would happen with the repeal of that section? The mayor’s office says these items would be put back into the collective bargaining process…
· Class size;
· Class staffing and assignment;
· Class schedules;
· Academic calendar;
· Length of the work and school day;
· Length of the work and school year;
· Hours and places of instruction; and
· Pupil assessment policies.
Section 4.5 (Subjects of Collective Bargaining) is here.
* Greg Hinz had the scoop…
Quietly approved by the House late last week was a bill that would repeal 1995 reforms passed early in the tenure of former Mayor Richard M. Daley that took certain topics, including class size and the school calendar, off the collective bargaining table, making them discretionary to management rather than mandatory subjects for bargaining.
Daley implemented some changes under the law, most notably beginning to appoint members of the Chicago Board of Education, a change under attack in other pending legislation. But Emanuel went much further, often bragging he changed a Chicago Public Schools system that had had what he said was among the shortest school days and years in the country.
The shift always has rankled the Chicago Teachers Union, in part because it applied only to Chicago and no other districts in the suburbs or downstate. A similar CTU bill stalled last year in Springfield, but it breezed out of the House largely on a party-line 73-35 vote last week, and according to the union, there is good reason to believe the measure has the support of Senate President John Cullerton and will be signed into law if it reaches Gov. J.B. Pritzker. […]
“The bill would take away CPS’ bargaining leverage,” said one top schools insider who asked not to be named. “It will sharply increase the likelihood of a strike” next fall, when a new CTU contract is supposed to go into effect.
That’s a big payback for the CTU, campers.
*** UPDATE *** WBEZ…
Last week, the Illinois House passed a bill lifting these bargaining restrictions with 73 members voting yes and 35 voting no. The “no” votes came from Republicans. In the Senate, Democrats hold a bigger majority. Similar bills have passed in the House previously but have stalled in the Senate.
But now, Senate President John Cullerton tells WBEZ it might be time to revisit these provisions, according to his spokesman John Patterson.
In addition, both candidates for Chicago’s mayor and Governor J.B. Pritzker are considered more CTU-friendly than Mayor Rahm Emanuel and former Gov. Bruce Rauner, which could increase the chances of the bill making it to the governor’s desk.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Apr 1, 19 @ 4:37 pm
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It’s for the children.
Comment by Steve Monday, Apr 1, 19 @ 4:57 pm
I am confused. CTU would want to negotiate about the length of the school day? If they repeal Section 4.5, would not that take away that authority to negotiate about those conditions?
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Monday, Apr 1, 19 @ 5:05 pm
· Class size;
· Class staffing and assignment;
· Class schedules;
It’s a CTU-backed bill, so the following would again be subject to collective bargaining, correct:
· Academic calendar;
· Length of the work and school day;
· Length of the work and school year;
· Hours and places of instruction; and
· Pupil assessment policies.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Apr 1, 19 @ 5:16 pm
It would give CTU the same bargaining rights that exist in every other school district in the state.
Comment by DC Monday, Apr 1, 19 @ 5:20 pm
A gift for the new mayor of Chicago /s
Comment by DuPage Saint Monday, Apr 1, 19 @ 5:29 pm
May 20: new Mayor sworn in
June 30: CTU contract expires
Enjoy the 5 week honeymoon, Herhonor.
Comment by Minnie Pearl Jam Monday, Apr 1, 19 @ 6:32 pm
All of those things you say the mayors office says would be taken out of bargaining would actually be on the bargaining table.
Comment by A State Employee Guy Monday, Apr 1, 19 @ 6:39 pm
If I’m not mistaken, I think at least some of those limits on what could be bargained over were enacted in 2011 as part as SB 7. That bill also required 75 percent of Chicago teacher to vote to approve a strike and allowed the schools to privatize janitorial service.
Comment by Roman Monday, Apr 1, 19 @ 7:02 pm
@Roman- I don’t think any of that was part sb7.
And it does put them I. The same place as everyone else when it comes to bargaining
Comment by JS Mill Monday, Apr 1, 19 @ 7:07 pm
I see. It is really Section 4.5(b) that makes the list discretionary for the Chicago mayor. Yeah, that will be a challenge for the next mayor.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Monday, Apr 1, 19 @ 7:08 pm
Glad my kids are almost done with CPS.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 1, 19 @ 7:08 pm
Yeah, those lazy greedy Chicago teachers, always complaining about stuff.
From CTU website:
Section 4.5 resulted in, among other ills, some of the largest class sizes in the state; woefully inadequate staffing of school nurses, school social workers and other clinicians, special education teachers, and teacher assistants; and the outsourcing of maintenance operations to Aramark that has resulted in filthy schools and dangerous learning conditions. These issues are mandatory subjects of bargaining in every other Illinois school district.
Comment by TinyDancer(FKASue) Monday, Apr 1, 19 @ 8:14 pm
CPS high school teachers are considered to only work 6.25 hours / day. Anyone who believes that the majority (or even a large minority) of teachers work a total of 31.25 hours / week needs to recognize just how demoralizing that is for the large majority of teachers whose average work week well-exceeds 40 hours / week. Enough with the vilification of teachers already.
Comment by It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way Monday, Apr 1, 19 @ 9:14 pm
Right and how many weeks out of the year do CPS teachers have to work??
Comment by Count Floyd Monday, Apr 1, 19 @ 9:21 pm
I think that CPS is too large and should be broken into smaller districts. Some of these districts will figure out how to teach kids from the urban culture.
As a large government created monopoly, CPS has become very bureaucratic. It is too big to be agile.
Comment by Last Bull Moose Monday, Apr 1, 19 @ 9:39 pm
There is a separate Article in the School Code for CPS. Let’s start treating all districts the same.
Comment by eyeball Monday, Apr 1, 19 @ 9:58 pm
Comparable to the rest of the state nope due to the number of schools. Argue what you want those measures help make the school system what it has become, some of the best schools in the nation. The legislators better keep that in mind; weaken the system reduces housing value, and those new comers will leave cause they have no understanding of city life. Tread lightly it’s taken years to get this far and as a cps alum, we had books to share, some teachers who cared but most when just a body repeating lesson plans that were years old. Sometimes things were done for a reason.
Comment by Anon Y Tuesday, Apr 2, 19 @ 5:29 am
All these things should be part of collective bargaining. The city needs to bargain with the same vigor as CTU.
Comment by PublicServant Tuesday, Apr 2, 19 @ 6:56 am
Can’t wait for an elected School Board. It’s not like Chicago doesn’t have enough politicians. I agree with the above, break up CPS into 4-6 separate districts. We don’t need half the BS that CTU is demanding in most schools.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Apr 2, 19 @ 8:45 am
I really hope the strikes dont start again. Anyone over 40 or so will remember the strikes that used to be a yearly occurrence in the Windy City. Agree you cant compare SD 299 w other districts around the state. Size makes comparison w others difficult.
Comment by lp Tuesday, Apr 2, 19 @ 8:46 am
This is a Win-Win.
Research shows that the main reason district’s struggle to retain good teachers has little to do with advanced salaries and everything to do with work conditions. Giving teachers input on work conditions will help as retain good teachers.
At the same time, the more the district is able to negotiate on non-salary items, the less they need to surrender on salary. Expanding the pie you negotiate around can help keep costs down.
Neither Lightfoot nor Preckwinkle is going to oppose this change, and even if Rahm is opposed, who cares?
Timing is perfect.
Comment by Thomas Paine Tuesday, Apr 2, 19 @ 8:56 am