Chicago Teacher’s Union’s 65-person “big bargaining” team and executive board voted in favor of the proposed settlement with Chicago Public Schools Monday night, reaching a tentative agreement.
Tuesday, April 1, 2025 12:19AM
A CTU team hopes to sign off on a potential deal Monday night.
CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago Teacher’s Union’s 65-person “big bargaining” team and executive board voted in favor of the proposed settlement with Chicago Public Schools Monday night, reaching a tentative agreement.
Members of the “big bargaining” team walked into CTU headquarters Monday hopeful they would walk out approving a new four-year contract.
After one year of long, tough negotiations and over 700 proposals, it’s come down to three sticking points: teacher evaluations, elementary school prep time and more pay for veteran teachers.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
The 150 proposals CTU and Chicago Public Schools have hammered out include more school librarians, nurses and counselors. In addition, there are four pages of new agreements for smaller class sizes, creation of green schools and protections against attacks from President Donald Trump.
Vicki Kurzydlo is in her 31st year of teaching.
“I’m a veteran teacher, and yes, that was one of our big issues. Because, as a veteran teacher, you know, we add stability, the schools. We add dimension; we add mentorship,” said Kurzydlo, a CTU teacher and big bargaining team member.
The proposed deal includes an annual 4 percent cost of living raise. It is the same offer CPS offered the union last summer.
CTU originally asked for 9% annual raises. In addition, the agreement calls for more school librarians, counselors and nurses: something, the union successfully received in their last contract.
“Our contracts are cumulative; so, they build off of one another. So, every single contract we win a little bit more, and we move a little bit forward. And we keep going up and up and up,” Kurzydlo
The proposed agreement came a week after Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson met with CPS CEO Pedro Martinez and CTU President Stacy Davis Gates at City Hall.
On Sunday, the former CPS teacher and CTU organizer took credit for being the first mayor in over a decade to possibly settle a contract without a strike.
“No other mayor brought Chicago Public Schools, the Board of Education, the Mayor’s office and the CTU to the table to make sure our children get exactly what they deserve, which is a fully funded well-rounded education,” Johnson said.
But, Mayor Johnson spent political capital on a tumultuous process that included an unsuccessful attempt at forcing Martinez out and the resignation of his handpicked school board. Both refused Johnson’s request to secure a short-term high-interest loan to pay for the contract and pensions. Teachers say their focus is on the classroom, not on how CPS affords the contract.
“Truthfully, I’m not, I’m not thinking about that right now. What I am thinking about is raising the floor for our students,” Kurzydlo said.
The big bargaining team huddled for hours Monday.
The tentative agreement moves to the union’s House of Delegates for a vote this Wednesday afternoon.
CTU’s full membership would possibly vote next week for the agreement to be final.
The Chicago Board of Education also needs to sign off.
Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Union Contract
Top Stories
Chicago Teacher’s Union’s 65-person “big bargaining” team and executive board voted in favor of the proposed settlement with Chicago Public Schools Monday night, reaching a tentative agreement.