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Chicago teachers’ union demands $50B in pay hikes, fully funded abortions, and migrant housing

May 5, 2024 | | Print Article

Only 21 percent of Chicago’s eighth graders are proficient readers.

According to the last Nation’s Report Card, just 16 percent are proficient in math.

But the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is reportedly demanding $50 billion in raises, fully-funded abortions, LGBT requirements, and goodies for the illegal migrants who are swamping the public school system.

“To put the figure into context, the total base tax receipts for the state of Illinois last year were $50.7 billion,” Fox News Digital reports.

The ludicrous demands come via a leaked document, according to the outlet.

Members will see at least 9% wage increases each year through fiscal year 2028, according to Union President Stacy Davis Gates’ plan.

“The average salary of a teacher in Chicago Public Schools is $93,182, according to research by the Illinois Policy Institute, a conservative nonprofit think tank,” Fox News Digital notes. “Therefore, the average teacher’s pay will increase by half to $144,620 in the 2027-2028 school year, it says.

“That figure would equate to more than double the median household income in Chicago, according to Census Bureau statistics.”

In a March speech referring to the union’s plans, Gates stated: “We are asking you to give us an opportunity to tell our story.”

“It will cost $50 billion and three cents… yes it will,” she said, “and so what, that’s audacity.”

Among the many demands, Fox News Digital reports:

Gates’ plan also calls for teachers and counselors to be paid a stipend of $1,000 per student per semester when they are assigned a number of students above contractual limits and a retirement bonus of $2,500 for employees with more than 30 years of service.

…

100% coverage benefits for abortion care, 100% coverage benefits for fertility, including full coverage for storage of embryos and any other frozen storage needs.

…

$2,000 to be given to each migrant to help with academics, transportation and mental health counseling.

…

[A] “newcomer liaison” for new students as well as migrant students and unused school facilities to be converted into housing accommodation for migrants.

And then there’s the social justice issues.

As a qualification in their job description, workers and educators must receive annual training on LGBTQ+ issues, and every school in the district must have at least one bathroom that is gender-neutral.

Additionally, Ms. Gates is demanding that parents be kept in the dark about their children’s potential mental health issues.

The union “wants the board to adopt policies that would prohibit any member from being compelled to tell parents when a student rejects his or her sex,” according to Fox News Digital.

“These demands read more like a political agenda than a serious contract intent on supporting teachers’ wages and benefits, and promoting the education of Chicago students,” Mailee Smith, senior director of labor policy at the Illinois Policy Institute, said in a statement last month. “These demands are far outside the scope of traditional bargaining, putting taxpayer dollars on the line in pursuit of more union power and social activism.”

“We are in the process of calculating the cost of these demands, but we can already tell that funding them will require a sweeping overhaul of finances and new revenues – meaning more and higher taxes for residents,” Smith, who called on Chicago Mayor Johnson to recuse himself from contract negotiations, said.

“Chicagoans deserve to be represented by a neutral party who is looking out for their finances.”

Melissa Fine
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