JAMES C. FRANCZEK, JR.
312.786.6110
jcf@franczek.com

September 13, 2019
Via Electronic Mail (JesseSharkey@ctulocal1.com)

Via Electronic Mail (rebloch@laboradvocates.com)

Jesse J. Sharkey, President
Chicago Teachers Union
1901 West Carroll Avenue
Chicago, IL 60612

Robert E. Bloch, Esq.
Dowd, Bloch, Bennett, Cervone,
Auerbach & Yokich
8 South Michigan Avenue - 19th Floor
Chicago, IL 60603-3315

Dear President Sharkey and Mr. Bloch:
I write in follow-up to our discussion yesterday during negotiations in which we reiterated
the Board’s expectation that the Board and CTU reach an agreement on a successor contract by
September 27. We are deeply troubled that the CTU is not approaching the negotiations with the
same degree of urgency as is CPS.
We have provided CTU with numerous substantive proposals with little to no response. The
following summarizes our recent negotiations:


On July 25, 2019, we provided proposals and counter proposals for numerous issues
including evaluations, staffing, and, most importantly, compensation – 14% COLA increase
over five years.



On August 26, 2019, we provided yet another robust compensation proposal that reflected a
16% COLA raise for your members.



To date, we received no response from CTU to our compensation proposals. Indeed, there
have been no written proposals on compensation or insurance from CTU since its initial
proposal in January, 2019. We have yet to receive a written proposal from CTU on the term
of the Agreement.



We provided several proposals on teacher evaluation, most recently on September 11, which
respond to concerns raised by your members and again, with no response from the CTU.



We provided proposals on special education, teacher preparation, substitute teachers,
grading practices, and contract term in an effort to respond to CTU concerns and we have
received nothing in return on these issues.

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 President Jesse J. Sharkey
Robert E. Bloch, Esq.
January 1, 1900
Page 2



We provided numerous individual proposals on topics the CTU identified are important to
members but with no response.



We provided written proposals to CTU on September 10, 11 and 12. Again, no response.

Aside from the handful of Tentative Agreements and your purported response on July 11 to
our proposals, the only written proposals we have received from CTU were on September 5 to a very
limited number of issues, the most significant of which was a revised staffing proposal demanding
that CPS hire 4,025 employees in nine positions at a cost of over $800 million over three years. In
making that proposal, CTU appears to have ignored hours of discussions at the bargaining table
where we described the challenges of hiring nurses, librarians, social workers and other similar staff
professionals. Even if money were no object, the job market would not permit CPS to deliver on the
staff levels in your September 5 offer. Indeed, you admitted at the bargaining table that you knew
CPS could not agree to such a proposal. We agreed at the bargaining table that we shared an interest
in developing a pipeline for qualified professionals to serve in student support roles. The pipeline is
where our efforts should be focused. As I said yesterday, that proposal is not credible and certainly
not deserving of a considered response.
We are committed to negotiating a fair contract that reflects our mutual belief in the
importance of the work of your members and for the benefit of the students and the parents of CPS
and the taxpayers of Chicago. We expect that the CTU would approach these negotiations with the
same urgency. We have not seen that sense of urgency from CTU. We respectfully request that CTU
advise us whether CTU shares our goal to conclude these negotiations by September 27 and is willing
to devote the time, energy and commitment to achieve that goal.
Very truly yours,

James C. Franczek, Jr.
JCF:mp
cc:

LaTanya D. McDade
Via Electronic Mail (ldmcdade@cps.edu)
Arnaldo Rivera
Via Electronic Mail (arivera11@cps.edu)
Michael D. Frisch
Via Electronic Mail (Michael.Frisch@cityofchicago.org)

Sally J. Scott
Nicki B. Bazer

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