A provision included in the bargaining agreement reached between Chicago and its teachers union will allow teachers to trade up to 244 unused sick days for pension credits – billable to all Illinois taxpayers.
After retiring at age 55, the average Chicago teacher just takes five months to get back everything they contributed toward their pension during their career.
The Chicago Teachers Union walked out on strike Oct. 17, but teachers who are not members of the union have more freedom to decide whether to return to their students.
The Chicago Teachers Union went on strike despite an offer that would boost average pay to nearly $100,000. Here’s who is getting hurt and the true costs of the strike.
Chicago Teachers Union backed Toni Preckwinkle for mayor of Chicago, donating nearly $300,000 to her campaign. But Lori Lightfoot won – and now CTU is on strike for the third time in seven years despite her generous offer.
Records show two Cook County Board members representing Chicago-area districts have each collected more than $100,000 from the Chicago Teachers Union atop their $85,000 commissioner salaries.
Teacher strikes are illegal in 8 of the top 10 largest school districts in the nation. Maybe that’s why the Chicago Teachers Union is on strike for the third time in seven years.
Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.