Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago teachers union, in the city in June. ( Nancy Stone/ Chicago Tribune)
The union accuses the governing board of the Chicago Public Schools of ?unfair labor practices? and of ?coercing? union members at schools to sign the waivers, which allow them to opt out of the existing teachers contract.
?Asking our members to void parts of their own contract it is unethical and illegal,? union president Karen Lewis said today.?We want them to cease and desist from its unlawful activity, restore our teachers? rights, post appropriate notices of its intent to extend school hours and tell us how they intend to make the school day better for our children. We?ve asked them over and over to work with us not against us.?
The complaint, filed with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, contends CPS: threatened to close schools if teachers did not approve contract modifications; interrogated teachers about their union activities; directed teachers to report their communications with the union; wrote and distributed the contract waiver; and banned union representatives from consulting with teachers before they were coerced into waiving parts of their labor contract.
Four CPS elementary schools have signed waiver agreements in the past week to extend their school days by 90 minutes. Principals have said the added time will be an invaluable tool for teachers.
Teachers are eligible for one-time pay bonuses of about 2 percent of the average district salary. Schools can receive as much as $150,000 in additional discretionary funds if they implement a longer school day beginning in September.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CPS chief Jean-Claude Brizard have said extending the length of the school day and school year in Chicago is a critical step toward improving student performance. The district plans to extend school days districtwide beginning in 2012.
Union officials have accused CPS of pressuring principals and teachers to sign the agreements as a way to circumvent the collective bargaining process. They also accuse district leaders of manipulating CPS data, including the length of the school day and test scores, to forward their ?political? agenda.
?CPS tries to justify its longer school day position at all costs because it has vested too many taxpayer dollars in this public relations campaign.? Lewis said. ?Sadly, they do not care if they have to demoralize our students and demonize our teachers to get it done.?
Last week, the union filed a greivance with the CPS labor relations department, alleging that CPS? waiver process was improper. They are asking an independent arbiter to overturn the waivers, essentially striping away the added time for those four schools.
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