Freezing Outside, CPS Heating Up At Negotiations

While temperatures outside were dipping into the polar vortex, we were heating up the negotiations with proposals to eliminate Sodexo, Aramark and other subcontractors from managing Board Custodians.  We also countered the cuts in staffing that they caused by proposing an increase in Board custodial staffing by 50%.  These are real solutions to keep our schools clean, address unfair workload, and eliminate the arbitrary changes in supervision.

We, also, proposed real solutions for Bus Aides and SECAs to improve special education for our most vulnerable students:

• Make sure more senior Bus Aides have preference to routes and longer shifts
• Limit SECA duties to special education services and what is in the IEPs of their assigned students
• Include SECAs in IEP meetings as well as a minimum number of periods to meet with special education and classroom teachers each week or month
• Better training for Custodians, SECAs, and Bus Aides with more meaningful input from workers

CPS members and Local 73 staff getting ready for negotiations.

We expect to get responses to these proposals from CPS at our next negotiations on February 6^th.  We will, also, give them our proposals for pay increases and restoring the benefits and raises that were taken away in the past. In upcoming negotiations, we plan on raising training and staffing issues for security officers, too.

Members can attend these negotiations on Wednesday February 6^th at 4:30 p.m. (or when you get off work) at the SEIU Local 73 Office, 300 S. Ashland Ave.  You can also:

• Volunteer as a contract captain at your school or bus barn
• Sign the petition in support of our contract goals
• Make sure every worker is signed up as a member of the Union