CTU Folding?
Looks like Rauner's threat to have the State take over and bust the Teachers Union is paying a dividend:
- Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union>, voiced optimism Thursday about the progress of contract negotiations with the school board and acknowledged her members could be in line to "lose certain things."
Lewis said those losses could include the end of the city's practice of picking up the bulk of teachers' required contributions to their pensions. But Lewis said the union would not bend on another key issue, incremental pay increases known as "step and lane" bumps that are doled out based on seniority and experience.
This would mean a 7% "reduction" in teachers' pay and a CPS "savings" of $170 million, still far short of bringing any sort of solvency (or sanity) to the table. Just part of the slow stage play.
Joravsky at The Reader has his usual piercing insight into the entire theater.
Joravsky at The Reader has his usual piercing insight into the entire theater.
Labels: state politics
posted by SCC at 12:01 AM
49 Comments:
The teachers wonder why their pensions are in shambles. Part of the reason is that they only contribute 2% of their salary to the fund. Start paying your fair share to the fund you cry babies.
Let the whole place fold.
Sounds like they don't want the state to take over. How many people would be fired?
Rather see them go through the whole bankruptcy thing and find out how much waste there really is in CPS.
That's why they will knuckle under - no one wants outsiders nosing around all the corruption.
Karen Lewis is a loud mouth shit talker. I hope the governor fucks the cps real good.
Rahm and rauner are asshole buddies , watch for them to team up again in the near future for more union busting hijinks .
I'll bet the parents are very mad that they are losing qualified teachers that their families got to know and trust.
Bankrupting the CPS wont be good for us. It will make it easier to civilianize many positions we have. Mostly specialty jobs like crime lab/ETs, K9 and most administrative jobs. Think of how that will affect out pension. It's a road map to Detroit. Save CPS, get rid of CTU Karen Lewis.
And the FOP will be next.
And somewhere along the way, they might even teach a kid to read?
Will they actually teach any children?
We figured something like this was coming. With all of the bluster about financial transaction taxes, $15/hour minimum wage, and police-bashing, the CTU is acquiescing. If indeed we're expected to work the same hours for less pay in our new contract, a lot of us will be working on our resumes this spring - at least those of us who are competent teachers and have a shot at getting out. I've never understood why we're expected to have a priestly vocational attitude towards our jobs. We're employees, no more, no less.
I am a cop and my wife is a teacher. Hopefully, the city won't cut both of our pays by 7%.
I knew she would fold. A real businessman always holds the advantage.
After the true colors of the CTU (communist red) came out when they sent supporters to Ferguson for the lies against police, they can go fuck themselves.
No matter what... there needs to be a takeover of the schools and a bankruptcy. I still see it happening...
You can't go on forever nickel and diming; raising and creating taxes; and borrowing to stay afloat. The city is going to crash and burn - it's PURE and SIMPLE MATH...
I understand that the Detroit School System is having money problems also. Maybe the two unions should get together and compare notes.
good. screw the teachers. Maybe BLM will come out and support them because we sure as hell won't! Pay like the rest of us you greedy pricks!
Its about time, they pay into their pension,GOOD for them, where can we march for it ?
80-90% of the food at CPS is wasted. How many millions would that save? Students cannot take one item. If they want milk, they have to take fruit and cereal also. Student drinks milk and then dumps the rest in garbage. Hot meals extraordinarily wasted. And of course all this is provided to all kids, even the ones who already have parents that receive WIC and LINK. Breakfast and lunch everyday, vastly wasted.
Eliminate hot breakfast, individual cereal boxes which have a good shelf life and milk and bananas only.
Hot lunch once a week, something the kids will actually eat like pizza. Sandwiches the rest and drastically cut the order down.
Now would teachers agree to this? If it will save jobs/salary/pension they will if they're smart. Unless they want their kids to go to public school and eat for free to compensate for lost job or wages.
As far as your pension contribution is concerned, why is it lower than ours? Many of them don't even have to live in the city depending on when they were hired.
Why do the former superintendents of CPS leave with huge severance packages? Bryd-Bennet made a huge salary and stole a ton of money and gets nearly $300,000 in severance. She'll have the best commissary account in prison!
Have ANY of the former schools that were shuttered been re=-purposed, sold, developed, gutted for scrap, knocked down, donated? How much is being spent on maintaining and insuring these buildings.
"We pay 9%". Be quiet dummy. The Bd of Ed agreed to pick up 7% of the teachers 9% in lieu of a couple raises. They did this knowing they would reneg and akip payments. Just make sure you patrol in 17 like you never patrolled before.
Anonymous said...
And the FOP will be next.
1/22/2016 04:09:00 AM
****
Only if we elect malcontents like you to FOP.
How about YOU run for alderman?
Show us what you got Mr. Anonymous.
Hey Karen, if it comes to a strike again....you and the teachers do not have the support of the police and police parents. Oh and shame on you good teachers for allowing Karen Lewis to pull all her ghetto B.S. Hey Karen and to think living in the 19th ward I actually was going to vote for you for mayor, that will never happen again.
Same fools on here bashing Lewis were the same ones wanting her to run against rahm, bunch of sheep. She has always been an idiot. Also you are the same hypocrites saying teachers get what they deserve for supporting blm . Guess what morons, they don't all support it just like all cops aren't bad. Can't have it both ways, use your brain and stop being spoon fed like the spoiled babies your are acting like.
I do agree the teachers need to up their pension contributions like CPD. Cpd pays more than anyone, we should all be the same, including those useless alderman. The city would then have the $ to properly fund our pensions, in theory anyway.
First they break the teacher's union. AFSCME not too far behind. Cops and firefighters unions after that. Better to hang together than hang alone.
Did anyone go to the FOP meeting at the Ag.high school where they were going to talk about the pension?
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Will they actually teach any children?
1/22/2016 04:43:00 AM
=========================
Teach your children well. Crosby, Stills, and Nash. 1070.
Fuck CTU after seeing that front page of CTU magazine honoring that drugged maniac McDonald. Simple history lesson for them and this fringe movement- learn from your mistakes or prepare to repeat the mistake.
Anonymous said...
80-90% of the food at CPS is wasted. How many millions would that save? Students cannot take one item. If they want milk, they have to take fruit and cereal also. Student drinks milk and then dumps the rest in garbage. Hot meals extraordinarily wasted. And of course all this is provided to all kids, even the ones who already have parents that receive WIC and LINK. Breakfast and lunch everyday, vastly wasted.
FYI... This is a Government lunch program. CPS makes .50 cents a day per student. It used to be a program that many people would lie about there income to get.
"Step" raises is TeacherSpeak for "A raise because you remain breathing for yet another year while on the job". They have jack shit to do with being a better teacher.
"Lane" raises is TeacherSpeak for "I took some classes, or got another degree so I want more money". They also have jack shit to do with being a better teacher.
Just because one has taken classes and is on one's way to a Master's degree in something doesn't make one worth of more money. More does have the degree, or certificate.
Even more troublesome is the fact that many school districts PAY for the teachers to take continuing education courses, and then when the teachers advance toward another degree, they get more pay via the "lane" change.
And getting a "lane" change doesn't mean one doesn't also get a "step" raise.
These teachers are a bunch of greedy whores. Fuck 'em all.
If the CTU can't at least stipulate to pay a reasonable Fair Share to their pension as a means to retain the employment, let them bankrupt.
Sorry, but I'm tired of hearing "I'm buying school supplies for my students" as an excuse.
If the CTU and the CPS can't get together with their Inspector General and find and eliminate the waste, too friggin bad, bankrupt them.
Typical CPS/CTU "demanding" a State handout or they'll call a strike.
Every time year after year, more education debt and higher property taxes to pay for a dysfunctional system that churns out quite a few dysfunctional ill prepared angry youth (Not all of them but plenty).
Bankrupt the CPS. Because Rahm will cave in again and guess which select $250,000+ home owners will pay first.
Good CTU has bad representantion... Not all teachers are bad.. But they don't work holidays, summers, and get a winter break. What more do they want? Pay more into your pension, cry babies...
I've said it before, Rahm played Karen Lewis. She was so stupid and played right into his hands. She acted so tough and then bowed to Rahm just as he ordered her to do. The CTU is DONE in this city and the teachers will be begging to just keep their job!
"80-90% of the food at CPS is wasted." = It's paid for by federal money.
"As far as your pension contribution is concerned, why is it lower than ours?" = Because Jane Byrne gave us the pension pick-up in 1981 (instead of an overt pay raise) in order to keep teachers from leaving the city for higher base salaries in the nearby suburbs.
How long will CPS teachers/staffers keep Karen Lewis and Jesse Sharkey in charge of the CTU if they keep losing crap for them?
The last strike was a huge failure for CPS teachers/staffers as they lost:
- the ability to bank unused sick days (up to 325 days at the rate of pay they retired at and not the rate of pay each day was earned on) and receive a one-time unused sick day payout. Now, they can only bank (40) days for time.
- the ability to use their one-time unused sick day to enhance their pensions (Pension Enhancement Program-PEP). Most retirees who took part in PEP added $6K/year to their pensions.
http://www.bettergov.org/news/ill-gotten-gains-at-cps-unused-sick-days-pay-off
- pay as the 7% raises they got over three years (3%, 2%, 2%) turned into paycut as CPS increased the length of the school year and day.
Now, what can CPS teachers stand to lose?
1.) 7% Pensions Contribution by CPS?
On an average CPS teacher salary of $76,000,
(http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/06/12/how-much-do-chicago-public-school-teachers-make/)
CPS teachers only pay $1520 (2%) of the pension deduction from each paycheck, while CPS pays $5320 (7%).
Now, the poor babies are being told CPS will no longer cover the 7% and gradually they're going to be made to the full 9% ($6840) pension pickup, just like all other city employees 'who must live in the city without the chance to get a residency waiver' do already.
2.) Salary Step and pay increases for having an advance degree not used in their current positions?
ex.) Many CPS teachers/staffers get paid an extra $2500-$3500 per year to have an advanced degree, like a Masters in Administration, to teach subjects like PE, English, Shop and Foreign Language. These teachers/staffers get 'free' money for these degrees without using them and most get 'cut rate' tuition to take courses for the advanced degrees based on them being a CPS teacher or staffer.
3. ) The elimination of some teachers to work in 'non-certified' positions entitled 'Resource/Consultative' teacher?
These type of teachers work in positions like: Attendance Clerk, Athletic Director, Dean, Disciplinarian, Student Activities Director/Assistant, Technology Coordinator/Squad, Programming, In-School Suspension Supervisor, & Security. CPS teachers working in these 'Resource/Consultative' teacher positions still get salary increases, benefits, and all the perks of being a regular teacher when someone 'non-certified' could be hired to perform these job duties for half the pay and benefits.
**Currently, Taft High School has an attendance clerk (former CPS teacher Gary Longo) working under the position title of ''Resource/Consultative Teacher' and earning $90,000 + $30,000 in benefits, including CPS picking up 7% ($6300) of his pension pickup. See his salary here:
http://www.bettergov.org/payroll-database?combine=gary+longo&Employer=&DataYear=&Salary%5Bmin%5D=0&Salary%5Bmax%5D=1000000
4.) Residency outside Chicago based on teachers/staffers working in need basis subject areas?
The CTU reported in 2012 that 6000 of its members lost their positions (read the link here: http://intsse.com/wswspdf/en/articles/2012/06/ctuc-j14.pdf) in the last 10 years. And, since that article, the CTU upped that number to 7000. Also, CPS says 300+ schools are underutilized. When will many of these schools be merged and more schools closed?
So, where's the need for several CPS teachers/staffers to continue to live outside Chicago?
Don't think that CTU is unique.
If Rahm and Rauner are successful at busting that union and stealing their pensions you know damn well police and fire would be next.
Mr. Rauner in the tag team partner for Rahm , Karen is toast , did you see her tag team partner ,a nerd , teachers will pay into pension and schools closed with teacher layoffs after state takes over .
HEY Guys,, and gals....
This the "end of the road". This is what happens in a cloutocracy that is run by unqualified people, promoting unqualified people, supported by clueless sheeple, and finally runs out of OPM (other people's money).
Let them go to Bankruptcy Court and get their pensions cut in half. That may not solve everything - but it's a start.
And another thing......
Keep drinking the Kool-Aid. I heard it was made with water from Flint, Michigan. That "caramel" color is completely natural.
Here's a breakdown from 2012 in regards to the lane/step increases for CPS teachers and some other staffers work (these 2012 salary numbers have gone up in recent years):
* Lane I (bachelor’s degree, BA), step one (first year) teachers working a 38.6-week position make $50,577 ($47,268 without the pension pickup). Lane I maxes out at step 16, $85,135 ($79,566). (Pension Pickup is $3309 with CPS picking up $2316 (7%) and the teachers putting in $993)
* Lane II (master’s, MA), step one: $54,080 ($50,542 without pension pickup). Step 16: $87,743 ($82,937)
* Lane VI (doctorate, PhD), step one: $61,087 ($57,091 without pension pickup). Step 16: $95,957 ($89,680).
Now, two things here:
1. CPS teachers and staffers are finally going to be asked to pay the full 9% of their OWN pension pickup in the near future. If we use Lane 1 (BA) Step 1 (Year 1), that coms out to $3309, meaning a $2316 paycut.
2. The difference from having a BA to a MA to a PhD is as follows:
Jump in pay from a BA to MA : $50,577 to $54,080 = $3503/yr pay increase (7%)
Jump in pay from a BA to PhD: $54,080 to $61,087 = $7007/yr Pay increase (11.5%)
Now, the BIG problem with these Step increases isn't CPS teachers and staffers who use their advanced degrees in their current positions, it's those who get paid extra for advanced degrees and they don't use them in their current positions. A good example is CPS PE teachers getting a Masters in Administration (mostly online). Do PE teachers really need to have an MA in Administration to be a CPS PE teacher? The answer is NO!!!
Let's not get misty-eyed for these PE teachers who attained an MA in Administration (mostly online) and say they worked for the MA and deserved the extra bump in pay. Most PE teachers who get these MAs do so by meeting 1 day/3 hr./week classes and mostly work online at school and home for about 2 yrs.
These PE teachers also get a break in tuition through Concordia or ACE because they're CPS employees. (Think $153/month tuition for 2 yrs or $3672 total to get an advanced degree which will net you your money back in ONE year for not using the advanced degree after you get it).
Here's the Concordia links:
http://www.graduateprogram.org/concordia-chicago/
http://www.graduateprogram.org/concordia-chicago/print/20
7:55pm....And now it's 2016.....time to pay more.
"Even more troublesome is the fact that many school districts PAY for the teachers to take continuing education course." WRONG. Schools pay for teachers to attend professional developments, same as cops. These PDs don't count towards lane advancement - just towards the total amount we have to attend every year. Teachers can only advance up in lane by earning higher university degrees, which are NOT paid for by the city - unlike police, whose higher degrees ARE paid for by the city. Wtf? Comments here reveal that most people are totally ignorant about the job of teaching.
Hey They want teacher to have a two/three year turnover. Cheap and young and get rid off them!
Guess what sounds like this is the plan for youl too. If you think for a second CPD and CFD is exempt and the Mayor loves me more attitude, forget it! CPS, CPD, CFD are turning into Peace Corp jobs. Cheap and young!
Even more troublesome is the fact that many school districts PAY for the teachers to take continuing education courses, and then when the teachers advance toward another degree, they get more pay via the "lane" change.
Well, CPS doesn't pay a dime toward continuing education. Teachers need a certain amount of education hours each year just to maintain their license. Also, there's pressure on teachers to get additional endorsements or certifications to keep their jobs. The latest is a big push to get the English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement. Many teachers are going back to school yet again to get this just to increase their job security. These certifications are not cheap.
I see a lot of teachers have responded here.
Interesting that the food is federally funded, I don't think that is the only federal funding received. Maybe its time that the administrators appeal to the feds that that money be used more efficiently.
I apologize about not knowing that raises were forgone to avoid increasing your pension fund contribution.
But the silence is amazing on the Laquan issue and the residency issue. That is a lot of salary money leaving the city. That is your union dues going to promote BLM. Unless you were worried that speaking out against that would affect your possibility of getting laid off, you should be expressing your outrage. That is if you really don't think that CPD is the villains we are being portrayed as.
Anonymous said...
"Many teachers are going back to school yet again to get this just to increase their job security. These certifications are not cheap." 1/23/2016 09:19:00 AM
"These PE teachers also get a break in tuition through Concordia or ACE because they're CPS employees. (Think $153/month tuition for 2 yrs or $3672 total to get an advanced degree which will net you your money back in ONE year for not using the advanced degree after you get it)." 1/23/2016 06:07:00 AM
I believe $3672 for an advanced degree is cheap considering after a little over a year these teachers can make up the money it cost to take the courses and get the advanced degree. The rest of the years it's FREE money for these teachers not using the advanced degree in their positions. The FREE money is anywhere from $3500-&7000/year on top of their rising salaries or $35K-$70K in ten years time.
Fuck the Teacher's, they don't care about us and we should b the same!
"If Rahm and Rauner are successful at busting that union and stealing their pensions you know damn well police and fire would be next.
1/22/2016 08:25:00 PM"
Count on it. FF Local 2 will put up a good fight. FOP7 will fold & crumble with that door mat pos Angelo at the helm.
Guess what sounds like this is the plan for youl too. If you think for a second CPD and CFD is exempt and the Mayor loves me more attitude, forget it! CPS, CPD, CFD are turning into Peace Corp jobs. Cheap and young!
1/23/2016 09:16:00 AM
Another blatant set-up for TKB.
"These PE teachers also get a break in tuition through Concordia or ACE because they're CPS employees. (Think $153/month tuition for 2 yrs or $3672 total to get an advanced degree which will net you your money back in ONE year for not using the advanced degree after you get it)." 1/23/2016 06:07:00 AM
I believe $3672 for an advanced degree is cheap considering after a little over a year these teachers can make up the money it cost to take the courses and get the advanced degree. The rest of the years it's FREE money for these teachers not using the advanced degree in their positions. The FREE money is anywhere from $3500-&7000/year on top of their rising salaries or $35K-$70K in ten years time.
I've never heard of any special tuition for CPS employees. I, and most teachers I know, paid a lot more and have the student loans to prove it. And I'm not sure where you get your info from, but the Lane increases are nowhere near 3500-7000. Most are closer to 2000.
http://www.ctunet.com/for-members/text/2012-tentative-agreement/208-day-positions-Final-Showing-Pension-Pick-up-092412.pdf
via Illinois Policy.com
Public school teachers in Chicago are legally required to pay 9% of their salaries toward their own pensions. But since 1981, as a result of contract negotiations between CPS and CTU, Chicago teachers only pay 2% of their salaries toward their pensions. City taxpayers have to cover the remainder of the employee contribution. Since 2006, this practice has cost taxpayers $1.3 billion.
The 1981 agreement was part of a trend in the 1980s and 1990s, which saw many government entities, including most Illinois school districts, begin “picking up,” or paying, their employees’ pension share as an added employee benefit.
In Illinois, nearly two-thirds of all school districts pay some or all of teachers’ required pension contributions. Of course, when any government entity agrees to cover part of an employee’s pension contribution, it must take that money from taxpayers.
Pension pickups at CPS – including those for teachers – are a perk that costs Chicago taxpayers nearly $170 million yearly and has contributed to CPS’ demise.
Asking teachers to pay their full share means those tax funds could then go toward
CPS’ employer pension contributions, which the district has underfunded for years.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/ctu-president-concedes-possibility-of-cps-ending-annual-multimillion-dollar-practice-of-teacher-pension-pickups/
I've never heard of any special tuition for CPS employees. I, and most teachers I know, paid a lot more and have the student loans to prove it. And I'm not sure where you get your info from, but the Lane increases are nowhere near 3500-7000. Most are closer to 2000.
http://www.ctunet.com/for-members/text/2012-tentative-agreement/208-day-positions-Final-Showing-Pension-Pick-up-092412.pdf
1/24/2016 08:19:00 AM
Your own data ahows there's an increase from a BA to MA of $3500 and from an MA to a PhD of an increase of $3500. So, my numbers are in-line with $3500-$7000 more in salary depending on your advanced degree. Thanks for showing this as it proves my point. Plus, everyone knows the CTU's data for teacher salaries and benefits is always underreported by $2000-$5000.
Maybe, you didn't do your homework and you're on the hook for student loans unlike many of your CTU brothers and sisters who found an easy way out. I suggest you contact Concordia or ACE and ask them for the CTU-rate and you'll see several teachers picked their MAs on the cheap.
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