Source: In These Times
by Kari Lydersen
“Last week, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) membership voted overwhelmingly to approve a new contract following nearly a year of negotiations that were at times contentious with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The four-year contract represents a direct rebuke to the Trump administration’s attacks on academic freedom and immigrants, enshrining protections that the union began fighting for months before President Trump was elected. The agreement is also a prime example of the labor strategy of bargaining for ‘the ‘common good’, with provisions that help not only specific union members in the workplace but the broader community as a whole, at a time when such measures are especially crucial. Union members voted by 97% to approve the contract, and the months-long negotiations showcased an impasse between the union and CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. Martinez was ultimately fired by the school board in December but remains in office with a legal challenge pending.” (04/18/25)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/chicago-teachers-union-contract-trump-sanctuary-common-good