HOW THE CURRENT CONTRACT DOES NOT WORK FOR YOU! - Legislative Partnership
Article 12 – Legislative Partnership
The following is a word for word copy of Article 12 from the 2003-2007 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Board of Education of the City of Chicago and the Chicago Teachers Union. In the 2007-2012 contract negotiated by Marilyn Stewart and her contract team, it remains unchanged.
12-1. A joint BOARD-UNION Commission shall be established in accordance with the BOARD-UNION Partnership Agreement under section 34-3.5 of the Illinois School Code [105 ILCS 5/34-3.5]. The Commission shall study, discuss, formulate and submit recommendations to the Chief Executive Officer and President of the UNION regarding a joint legislative strategy to advance the shared interests of the BOARD and the UNION and facilitate passage of legislation in the following areas: extension for pension pick up for after school programs and summer school; "5 + 5" early retirement, early retirement without discount and any other appropriate early retirement legislation for teachers; the State’s assumption of the BOARD’s obligation to contribute to the Public School Teachers’ Pension and Retirement Fund of Chicago; State funding for reduced class sizes in schools targeted by the BOARD and the UNION; and modifications to the NO Child Left Behind Act.
Membership on the Commission shall be limited to five from the BOARD and five from the UNION. It is agreed and understood that said limitations shall not preclude utilization of appropriate resource personnel.
The Commission shall submit recommendations to the Chief Executive Officer and the President of the UNION by April 1, 2008
This article was originally introduced as contract language under former CTU president Deborah Lynch in 2003 and left in the contract by current President Marilyn Stewart in 2007. For over a year, Ms. Lynch insisted Stewart file a grievance against CPS for failing in "facilitating passage of a 5 + 5 retirement package" for our members.
This language renders the Article unenforceable for the following reasons: (See underlined portions of Article 12 above):
The commission is limited to making “recommendations”, and includes various early retirement options for teachers. It is not in the Board’s “shared interests” to increase their obligations to the Public School Teachers Pension and Retirement Fund of Chicago.
Ms. Lynch, as the responsible officer in negotiations, allowed this ambiguous contract language, and Stewart failed to address or rectify it.
