HOD JAN Meeting

House of Delegates Meeting January, 2019

By Jim Vail

The January House of Delegates meeting Wednesday, January 9, 2019 focused on three points:

1. Furthering the Charter School fight by hearing the teachers ready to strike at CICS now that Acero Charter (UNO Charter) has ended;

2. Health care cost increase concerns were heard and addressed by union lawyer;

3.  New contract demands

Delegates said the meeting didn't end til 9:45pm because the union wants to begin the contract negotiations process early. Still, nothing will happen until a new mayor is seated after a likely runoff in April.

The budget woes continue after interim financial director Kathy Catalano told the delegates that the union got hit with a higher tax bill than they expected due to new assessments (the area is getting pricy!).

A point of order was made by Members First Washington High School delegate Frank McDonald during the budget presentation concerning why the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has not paid its members' pension. CTU President Jesse Sharkey said earlier it's because they are disputing the late fee. This is the second year that the CTU has had a problem paying its employees' pensions.

Delegates and CTU members are upset that health care costs are going up for people with PPO insurance. Several delegates spoke about medical cost woes. 

Sharkey said 85 percent of members say health care costs are their top concern.  

The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) does not want to rescind the higher costs so the union filed an unfair labor practice. 

But it is unlikely anything will be decided in favor of the union due to an unfriendly labor board picked by anti-union zealot and former Gov. Bruce Rauner. 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel rescinded the last year of the teacher's 4% pay raise contract and nothing happened as well. You need to fight like the hell to enforce your contract.

VP Stacy Gates chastised the members for not endorsing JB Pritzker for Gov. She noted that despite no endorsement, many teachers voted for the new Democrat billionaire governor.

"We have no influence on Pritzker," she said. "Advance IL is his education transition team."

The union would have sought and most likely won an endorsement of Pritzker had his race been close with hated anti-union opponent Rauner. The Pritzker family is very anti-union, although JB said he likes unions.

Delegates were appreciative of the fact that the union took time during the HOD meeting to hear members' concerns about the health care costs.

However, the meeting could have been structured much tighter to focus on language in the new contract rather than the political chiding, charter rah rahhing and other time-consuming union leadership antics that forced delegates who toughed it out to stay til almost 10 pm. 

Sharkey said he is "optimistic" about the new contract because CPS does not have a budget crisis like in years past where teachers worked less days despite the contract.