HOD Dec.

Report on the Meeting of the House of Delegates on December 9, 2020

By George Milkowski

Please note:  Because of the COVID 19 pandemic, this meeting was conducted as a webinar via a video conference

The meeting began at 4:31 p.m..

I. Officer Reports

A. Recording Secretary Christel Williams-Hayes – Christel began with a video tribute to Sherri Dabney Parker, a PSRP and very strong union activist who passed away recently.

    Christel then very briefly talked about how the CPS wants to push us back into the schools.  She said “The Mayor and the school board have no concern for us.”

B. Financial Report Kathy Catalano – Kathy said that for the first quarter of our fiscal year, the Union is in good financial straits.  We received $7,954,744 in dues through December 8 which is about $550,000 more than last year at this time, although about half of that will be “pass throughs” to our affiliation in the CFL, the IFT, and the AFT.  We also have about $190,000 in excess expenditures related to the pandemic; video productions, surveys, “We still teach”, podcasts, and so on

C. Recording secretary Maria Moreno – Our membership is up again by about 150 to 28,743, of which 2.019 are retiree members.

All delegates’ terms were to expire this December but they will be extended until delegate elections can be held.  The Executive Board has approved the procedures and they are now being implemented.

Terms for retiree delegates’ elections will also expire but the Executive Board has come up with special procedures for them.  About half of retiree members do NOT have e-mail addresses so everything will be paced on using the USPS.  Anyone who wishes to run or to vote in the retiree delegates’ election must have paid their dues ($50) by January 22.  A nominating meeting will be held on February 22 via ZOOM but members may also attend that meeting using only their telephone.  After the eligibility of the candidates have been verified they will have until March 1, 2021, to decline the nomination.  Ballots will be mailed out on March 17 and must be received back at the CTU office April 14, when the ballots will be counted.

D. Vice President Stacy Davis Gates  - Stacy lauded all members for the work they have been doing.  She said the CPS is “...coming at us hard”.  One thing the Union is pushing is equity and Stacy said that CPS sending black and brown students into schools with no nurses and questionable air circulation is NOT equity.  “You cannot rush to re-open schools in the middle of a pandemic in a surge within a surge” she said.  The Union is planning a week of action next week with a protest car caravan this Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at Union Park at Washington and Ashland.  There will be a radio broadcast so all can hear what the speakers are saying.

II. President’s Report – Jesse Sharkey

Pres. Sharkey started off by reminding delegates that it is okay to report what goes on in the House meeting but that no one should share this information with those outside of the Union.

Jesse said the CPS is trying to divide CTU members, e.g., clerks v. teachers, is trying to bully parents and teachers, and is trying to demoralize us by asserting going back into the classrooms in January is “inevitable”.  We need to stick together in solidarity.  Before going back into the buildings, CTU’s strategy is based on a) safety criteria b) trust, and c) equity for our students.  The CTU wants clear health criteria with a 3% positivity cap, improved safety protocols such as masks, real cleaning, screening, PPE, social distancing, and proper ventilation.  The Union also wants 25% of the staff to be tested every week with contact tracing if needed and vaccines administered in areas of most need.

The Union also wants to improve remote learning by reducing student screen time by one hour per day and to make sure that all families have sufficient equipment and internet access.  The CTU wants a better hybrid plan with no “simultaneous instruction” and continued remote learning where possible.

The way to achieve these goals is for the CPS to invite parents and community groups in for negotiations.  The CTU also would want to have a joint CTU-CPS committee specifically to deal with the pandemic and to have a safety committee with the delegate and other members in every school with the power to shut down the school if they feel it is necessary.  (Note: this is a big ask but it is not an unusual practice in industry to have such committee with that power).

Jesse then read a list of 20 schools that have reported someone testing positive for the COVID 19 virus without having any students in attendance IN JUST THE PREVIOUS TWO DAYS!!

III. Items for Action

A. Approve summary bargaining demands  which are available on the CTU website (ctilocal1.org/covid-demands).

Frank MacDonald (Washington H.S.) said he supported the motion but was worried that they did not address concerns of clerks who are already in the buildings.  Sarah Chambers expressed support for the demands but another delegate was concerned that needs of clinicians were not being addressed as they usually have no specific location in the various schools they go to.  A resolution to close debate passed 88-12%.  I voted to not close debate but voted to approve the resolution that passed 98-2%.

B. A “Resolution to have “green schools” with retrofitting and weatherizing and solar panels on schools.  The delegate from Juarez High said his school has had for a few years a program on training the kids in solar panel work and has been highly successful.  The Resolution included a request that such programs in conjunction with the trade unions be established.  The resolution passed 88-12% in which I voted with the majority.  

IV. Department/Committee Reports 

A. Organizing – Tenille Evans – Tenille announced that the CPS backed down on plans to close three schools in Lawndale thanks to pressure from parents, the community, and the CTU.

Tenille also stated that the CPS has reduced the number of days per week that they had insisted have clerks work in the buildings from five days to three.

Then Tenille talked about the coming week of action by the CTU, starting with a car caravan protest on Saturday, December 12, beginning at 11:00 a.m. at Union Park, Washington and Ashland.

Tenille laid out the Union’s plans for actions starting on December 14 with a on0line parent meeting in Spanish and requests for members to sign up to speak at the Board of Ed meeting later in the week.  On December 15 there will be a town hall meeting aimed at getting an elected representative school board in Chicago.  Wednesday the CTU will hold a press conference and have a Social Media Power Hour.  Thursday, December 17, the CTU will hold a night vigil for deceased members and on Friday, December 18, all members are asked to wear CTU red.

B. Grievance – Kathy Murray – Kathy announced that the CPS released funds for workload relief and stressed that distribution of the funds need to go through the PPC.

Kathy also reminded delegates that there are some COVID 19 related workplace accommodations for individuals with conditions that may put them or their families at higher risk.

C. Political/Legislative - Kurt Hilgendorf – Kurt stressed that there are two important bills that passed the House of Representatives in the General Assembly that now need to be passed by the Senate.  The first is HB 2267, a bill that would establish an elected representative school board in Chicago and the second, HB2275, would restore the CTU’s full bargaining rights.  He urged everyone to contact their State senator, tell them you are a constituent and a regular voter, and that you want these bills to be passed.

D. CTU-ACTS – Chris Baehrend – Chris reported that they are still working to get ACERO charter schools to rescind their intended lay-offs of Special Ed teachers..

Latino Youth School, where Chris works ordered its teachers to go into their buildings 16 weeks ago, and for 16 weeks those teachers have held strong and have refused to do so.

Chris reported that EPIC Academy teachers have agreed to join the CTU

V. New Business/Questions and Answers

Natasha Carlson motioned to have the House re-affirm its reaffirm its resolution on school safety that passed on November 4, 2020, and wanted to add another “Therefore” to it.    Vice President Davis Gates argued that this is an escalation in our argument with the CPS and Pres. Sharkey ruled it out of order but referred it o the Executive Board.

A motion by Margaret Taylor (Chappel School) that the CTU have an emergency House of Delegates meeting on December 23 if a current complaint to the Illinois Labor Relations Board does not rule in our favor.  Sharkey referred it to a committee.

Mary Esposito asked if our entire contract can be re-opened by the Board if we go on strike.  Pres. Sharkey said “no”, that when the Board ignores our contract that does not mean that the whole thing is open to negotiations again.  He said that if we strike over an unfair labor practice that despite having a “no strike clause” such a strike would be allowed.  He referred this to our lawyer, Robert block, who did not give a definitive answer but said there are a lot of questions about this if we walk out.

A motion to extend debate passed 64-36%.  I voted “yes” to extend debate.

Dennis Kosuth, a school nurse was concerned because a number of schools that he works at were on the list Jesse read off earlier in the meeting.

Wendy Weingarten teaches P.E. at LaSalle II and said that the guidelines she received regarding P.E. during the pandemic restricts students’ physical activity to just 

Walking.

Lastly, David Hernandez of Social Justice High, thinks we need to act on what we do regarding prioritizing the distribution of the vaccine when it is available.

The meeting then ended at 7:07 p.m..