To schedule an interview, contact Kristen Williamson at [email protected] or 773-809-4403.
The Chicago Teachers Union approved a measure for all staff to strike if their members are not allowed to teach remotely during ongoing talks between the union and Chicago Public Schools. Chicago’s K-8 teachers were scheduled to return to buildings on Monday, Jan. 25 and begin teaching in-person on Feb. 1.
But CTU has a problem — a strike would violate both the current collective bargaining agreement with Chicago Public Schools and Illinois law.
Attorneys at the Liberty Justice Center are available to provide comment:
- In the November 2019 collective bargaining agreement that ended an 11-day strike, CTU agreed not to strike or picket during the term of the new contract.
- Illinois law prevents CTU from engaging in a strike unless specific conditions are met. Among those conditions are circumstances that have not yet occurred, or will not occur anytime soon.
- CTU is attempting to justify it’s illegal actions by claiming this is an “unfair labor practice” strike. Under Illinois law, there’s no such thing as an “unfair labor practice” strike.
- CTU claims that preventing teachers from teaching remotely when they are supposed to be teaching at school is a lockout in violation of the CBA. By preventing teachers who do not show up to school from teaching remotely, CPS is not locking teachers out of working at all — it is simply requiring them to work at school.
Available Liberty Justice Center experts:
To schedule an interview, contact Kristen Williamson at [email protected] or 773-809-4403.