IFT President Stacy Davis Gates on CCCTU Tentative Agreement with City Colleges of Chicago
CHICAGO - Illinois Federation of Teachers and Chicago Teachers and Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates issued the following statement on Cook County Colleges Teachers Union (CCCTU), Local 1600, Tentative Agreement with City Colleges of Chicago:
"Congratulations to the faculty and professionals of CCCTU Local 1600. Their 96% strike vote, their pickets, and their presence at every Board meeting are why this agreement exists. They showed City Colleges that the people who teach and support Chicago's students will not absorb higher health care costs or be left out of decisions about artificial intelligence in their classrooms.
"This tentative agreement protects working families, keeps pay in step with the cost of living, and opens a real conversation about making developmental education free for students. Mayor Brandon Johnson has shown what it looks like when a city leader treats educators as partners, and his administration's openness at the table helped get this deal done. IFT stands with CCCTU members as they move to ratify."
Tony Johnston, President, CCCTU Local 1600
"Bargaining with the Johnson administration was a remarkably different experience. Mayor Brandon Johnson's team was transparent, available, and paid real attention to both sides of the table, and that made this agreement possible. City Colleges exist to open doors for working families. This contract protects the people who keep those doors open and starts the work of making developmental education free, so no student pays for classes that don't count toward their degree."
The agreement also delivers on affordability for City Colleges students and the people who serve them. A side letter creates a task force to study making developmental education free, which would spare students from paying tuition for courses that do not count toward a degree. The contract keeps current health insurance contributions and caps in place after City Colleges administration pushed to shift more costs onto employees, and it provides raises that keep pace with the cost of living, so faculty and professionals can afford to stay in the communities they serve.
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