Chicago Teachers Union members to call on Mayor Lori Lightfoot to extend parental leave improvements to CPS staff

By Mitzi Trainor Last updated Jan 18, 2023

CHICAGO (WLS) — Members of the Chicago Teachers Union are expected to deliver signatures to City Hall Wednesday morning.

The petitions call on Mayor Lori Lightfoot to extend parental leave improvements to Chicago Public School employees.

The CTU will be at City Hall at 9 am

They plan to go up to the mayor’s office on the fifth floor to deliver thousands of petition signatures.

They said Lightfoot is attacking union educators by reversing course on a promise to extend up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave to CTU employees.

Currently, they get up to two paid weeks.

SEE MORE: Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces 12 weeks of paid parental leave for city of Chicago employees

Last fall, the mayor vowed to give all 32,000 city employees 12 weeks, starting this month.

The CTU said the school district indicated that the same improvement would be extended to CPS employees, but said in late December, the school board reversed that position.

On Tuesday, outraged union members rallied on the West Side.

“It is extremely unfair that we are city workers with the requirements of living in the city, a city I love, and pay city taxes, yet we are not being given the same parental leave benefits as other city workers,” CTU member Erin Jimenez said.

CPS responded, saying, “Chicago Public Schools remains committed to exploring an updated parental leave policy and that work is ongoing. As such, CPS is taking the necessary time to review our policies and engage the union leadership to bargain over how to best support our team members who are new parents.”

The CTU said they also plan to hold a news conference after they deliver the signatures Wednesday morning.