PRESS RELEASE from the
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE

CONTACT: Micky Horstman (312) 607-4977

CTU strike anniversary: Early warning of Amendment 1 impact on Illinois

CHICAGO (Oct. 19, 2022) — Three years ago, the Chicago Teachers Union was on strike. It left students idle for 11 school days and resulted in a five-year contract estimated to cost taxpayers $1.5 billion.

Analysis from the Illinois Policy Institute finds that should Amendment 1 pass – the proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 8 ballot – Illinois residents could see costly and frequent government employee strikes similar to the 2019 CTU strike.

Why does the 2019 strike provide a warning about Amendment 1? 
Amendment 1 would expand the scope of collective bargaining for government unions in Illinois further than any other state in the nation, to include “economic welfare,” an undefined term that would encompass new subjects beyond wages and compensation.

In 2019, CTU attempted to negotiate for affordable housing and other social justice initiatives. Experts at the Institute say that should Amendment 1 pass, these topics could be demanded at the bargaining table by many other government unions.

What would Amendment 1 do?

• Allow government unions to use “economic welfare” to negotiate for seemingly unlimited provisions, for which taxpayers would have to pay.
• Pass the cost of these new provisions to local taxpayers through property tax increases, gas tax hikes, income tax hikes or other new taxes and fees.
• Override 350 existing state laws, while preventing anyone from ever changing what could be negotiated.
• Potentially keep more families out of school. The precedent of strikes to satisfy demands for contracts could lead to more opportunities for teachers union bosses to call a strike.

To read more about Amendment 1, visit illin.is/ctuanniversary.

For bookings or interviews, contact media@illinoispolicy.org or (312) 607-4977.