Catherwood LibraryILR School

The contract between the Chicago school district and the Chicago Teachers Union will end in late June, and the union announced its demands for a new contract this week. The Chicago Teachers Union represents over thirty thousand employees. Negotiations between the two parties will begin soon, and the parties will be negotiating a new four-year contract. Earlier this week, union leaders and various teachers rode around the city in a trolley to meet with state officials and community leaders and discuss the upcoming contract negotiations. The demands include wage increases for teachers and an increase in the minimum wage in the school district, which would benefit teacher assistants and paraprofessionals who earn the lowest. The union is also seeking greater funding for various school programs, such as the programs for fine arts, restorative justice, languages, and athletics. Federal funding that came from emergency COVID-19 relief funds will expire later this year, so the school district will have to diligently allocate funds to meet the demands of the union.