Chicago School Board Set to Sign Off on New Contract Agreement With SEIU Local 73-Backed Support Staff
Chicago education officials are expected to sign off this week on a new contract between Chicago Public Schools and thousands of support staff that will increase wages for some of the district’s lowest paid workers.
The Chicago Board of Education this week will vote to approve the new deal between CPS and unionized staffers represented by Service Employees International Union Local 73.
“This contract is a testament to the efforts of our members and our staff,” Dian Palmer, president of SEIU Local 73, said in a statement. “Together we have secured a contract which will greatly improve the lives of these essential workers and provide the respect they deserve.”
SEIU Local 73 says it represents more than 11,000 CPS support staff, including special education classroom assistants, custodians, crossing guards, bus aides, security officers and parent workers.
CPS and the union had been negotiating on a contract for a year.
The new contract ensures all full-time SEIU Local 73 members will begin with a baseline salary of at least $40,000, and includes a 4% raise for the first two years of the deal, followed by a 4-5% pay increase for the contract’s final two years, ending in 2027.
The contract also provides SEIU workers with additional professional development and will convert all seven-hour security officers to eight-hour employees.
“These critical support staff professionals carry out vital work in our schools each day, supporting teaching and learning and ensuring the safety and well being of our students,” CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said in a statement earlier this month after a tentative agreement was reached. “This agreement reflects our District’s commitment to a fair and equitable contract.”
The Board of Education’s sign-off is the final step needed before the agreement becomes official. The board is set to vote on that contract during its monthly meeting Wednesday.