The union is also seeking additional benefits such as a $1,000 per student per semester stipend for teachers and counselors when they are assigned a number of students above contractual limits, as well as a retirement bonus of $2,500 for employees with more than 30 years of service.

In addition to these financial demands, the CTU is also calling for a range of social justice provisions. These include 100% coverage benefits for abortion care and fertility treatments, $2,000 to be given to each migrant to help with academics, transportation, and mental health counseling, and the conversion of unused school facilities into housing accommodation for migrants.

The union also wants workers and educators to be trained annually on LGBTQ+ issues and mandates that every school in the district has at least one gender-neutral bathroom. It also wants to prohibit any member from being compelled to tell parents when a student rejects his or her sex.

These demands come at a time when only 21 percent of the city’s eighth graders are proficient readers, according to the last Nation’s Report Card. The CTU’s demands have been criticized for being far outside the scope of traditional bargaining, with concerns that funding them will require a significant overhaul of finances and new revenues, meaning more and higher taxes for residents.

The negotiations are taking place under the influence of Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has deep ties to the CTU and received significant funding from teachers’ unions during his campaign. The outcome of these negotiations will have significant implications for the city’s finances and the education of its students.

Article generated from corporate media reports.