Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Service Employees International Union, Local 73, Reach Tentative New Four-Year Agreement
Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Service Employees International Union, Local 73, Reach Tentative New Four-Year Agreement (Chicago, IL) — Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 73, announced Wednesday a tentative four-year contract agreement to better compensate the support staff professionals who serve the District’s more than 328,000 students, including many of our most vulnerable students. Under the agreement, every full-time SEIU member will earn at least $40,000 a year, a mutual priority of CPS CEO Pedro Martinez and SEIU Local 73 President Dian Palmer.
“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,” CEO Martinez said. “This agreement reflects our District’s commitment to a fair and equitable contract.”
The tentative agreement calls for a four percent raise for the first two years, beginning with a retroactive pay increase for this past year (2023-24 ) and next school year while members will see a four to five percent increase for the last two years (2025-26 and 2026-27), dependent on CPI. The agreement also ensures that full-time SEIU Local 73 members begin with a baseline salary of at least $40,000.
“Support staff are the backbone of Chicago Public Schools and provide the quality education Chicago’s children deserve,” said Dian Palmer, President of SEIU Local 73. “After a year-long fight, our Union members are finally being recognized for their commitment and have secured much needed raises that will greatly improve the lives of these essential workers and provide the respect they deserve. “
Some additional benefits of the new agreement are as follows:
- Provides more professional development, including more training for special education classroom assistants.
- Converts all seven-hour security officers to eight-hour employees.
- Extends Board Policy 4-10 – Religious holiday, previously exclusive for teachers, to SEIU Local 73 members.
- Elevates the voices of SEIU Local 73 members through various committees, with inclusion in a safety committee and another on SEIU performance evaluations.
Negotiations took place over the past year. SEIU Local 73 members are scheduled to vote to ratify the contract in the upcoming weeks and it will then go before the Chicago Board of Education for approval.
Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Service Employees International Union, Local 73, Reach Tentative New Four-Year Agreement
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