A surge in the omicron variant that began in December led the majority of CTA’s 25,000+ membership to vote for a switch from in-person to remote learning. The vote came in late in the evening on Jan. 4, and Lightfoot — alongside CPS CEO Pedro Martinez — canceled classes for Wednesday, Jan. 5. They also locked teachers out of their remote learning tools.
On Jan. 10, after five days of missed instruction, the seemingly unflinching CTU House of Delegates and an unrelenting Mayor Lightfoot with CPS in tow came to an agreement, which went to the CTU’s rank-and-file members for an electronic final vote on Jan. 11.
Seventy percent of the CTU’s rank-and-file had voted as polls closed late this afternoon, with results made available to the House of Delegates at 4:30 p.m., according to CTU director of communications Chris Geovanis. The CTU’s rank-and-file approved the agreement.
“Is this good? Is this a deal? Absolutely not. This is the hardest time in our lives and we are being forced to be the adults in the room,” said Jhoanna Maldonado, a CTU organizer speaking on behalf of the union.
The agreement includes an increase in the supply of KN95 masks provided by the district to schools, metrics and operational steps for switching instruction from in person to remote learning and monetary incentives to hire additional substitutes, all of which have been points of contention in the argument between CTU, CPS and Lightfoot.
With all of the emotional accusations and sensationalism being leveled by Lightfoot, Martinez and CTU, it is easy to miss the important details of the latest deal.
So here are a few big takeaways to keep in mind after the final vote of the CTU’s rank-and-file members.