The Chicago Teachers Union announced early Sunday that a tentativeþdeal had been reached with Acero charter schools to end a four-dayþstrike and that teachers would return to classes Monday.þþThe deal would bring the salaries of teachers and para-professionals —þworkers that range from information tech specialists to school clerks,þsome of whom earn less than $30,000 a year — in line with what theirþpeers at Chicago Public Schools earn, according to Chicago TeachersþUnion President Jesse Sharkey.þþThe four-year contract — if it’s ratified — will be retroactive toþAugust 1 and include a two percent yearly cost-of-living increase, heþsaid.þþSharkey said he’s “hoping to set a standard in the industry” with the new contract.þþHe said 34 of 130 charter schools in Chicago are currently unionized.þþThe union, which comprises about 530 workers spread across 15 Aceroþschools, mostly on the South Side, is expected to vote on theþcontracts early as this week. It’s expected to easily pass.þþA meeting held Sunday at a packed auditorium at CTU headquarters hadþthe vibe of a victory rally. Several dozen union members sang andþperformed a dance onstage swapping the words to the popular “BabyþShark” song with verses such as “fair contract,” “smaller class” andþ“we just won.”þþThe deal also includes “sanctuary” protections for undocumentedþstudents and their parents under which the charter school networkþwould not share information with immigration authorities. It alsoþincludes a provision to reduce class sizes.þþAcero Schools’ CEO Richard L. Rodriguez released a statement Sunday morning.þþ“Thanks to hard work and very long hours from both bargaining teams,þwe were able to reach an agreement that values teachers and staff forþthe important work they do, while still maintaining the attributes ofþour network that help produce strong educational outcomes for ourþstudents,” he said. “Most important for all of us and the families andþcommunities we serve, we can now get students back into the classroom,þwhere they belong.”þþThe picketing Acero teachers went on strike Tuesday. Acero had filedþlabor complaints against the union on Friday, seeking an injunction toþforce teachers back to work; the CTU scoffed at that and pledged toþcontinue picketing while contract talks continued.þþThe strike drew outsized attention because it was the first organizedþwork stoppage at a charter school in the country.þþAmerican Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, who’d joined union members on the picket lines last week, heralded this historic moment for charter schools.þþ“This strike may be the first of its kind for teachers in charter schools, but the struggle is strikingly similar to so many public school educators’ across the United States,” Weingarten said in a statement Sunday.þþSharkey agreed that there is common ground.þþ“Our vision is that educators at charter schools and at Chicago Public Schools have common interests,” Sharkey said in a statement Sunday night. “We live in the same neighborhoods, we teach the same kids, and we wage the same struggles over resources and underfunding.”þþ“We are now a movement that commands national attention and can stop a city,” Sharkey said.
Source: Chicago Sun Times
