Chicago Teachers Threaten Strike As CPS Imposes Three Unpaid Furlough Days
(CBS) – In a surprise move, Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool on Thursday ordered teachers and staff to take three furlough days before the end of the current school year.
Claypool said in a statement that the move would save the financially strapped Chicago Board of Education $30 million.
Day One is Good Friday, March 25, a day thousands of public school employees had planned to take off, with pay. Central office staff will be furloughed two days during spring break, while teachers and school staff will lose two non-instructional professional development days in June.
"After hearing from many principals that they were concerned about staff capacity on Good Friday, which normally falls during Spring Break, we determined the best course of action was a furlough day, combined with non-instructional year-end days," Claypool said. "It's never easy to furlough employees, but our priority was to preserve instructional time for our students while preserving year-end cash and continuing to chip away at our budget gap."
The Chicago Teachers Union was quick to respond, saying that the furloughs add insult to injury. Union officials suggest this will "all but assure" a teachers strike on April 1.
"This is going to be a challenge, and it does not bode well for the overall tenor of negotiations," said union Vice President Jesse Sharkey.
Sharkey said the action is being taken at a sensitive point in the ongoing contract negotiations between the union and the board, coming on top of the board's notification that it will no longer pick up the seven percent contribution to the teachers' pension fund.
While he said that the board and the union will continue to negotiate, Sharkey said it strengthens the union's determination to stage some form of job action April 1.
