Chicago Teachers Union
@CTULocal1 • 68,220 subscribers
AFT-IFT Local 1. 30,000 educators dedicated to the schools Chicago students deserve. Living rent-free in education reform minds since 2010. RT ≠ endorsement.
Videos
“We have to fight. We are going to win. But, right now, we have to fight.” Alderwoman Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez of the 33rd Ward spoke from the heart after families in her community were torn apart by ICE raids. She reminds us that this is not a time for silence or sitting it out — it’s a time for leadership. Elected officials must organize, legislate, and stand with labor and the community to protect our neighbors. This is the moment to fight for our city, to protect our city. #WeKeepUsSafe #FedsOutOfChicago #CTUStrong
Chicago Teachers Union3,216,720 Aufrufe • vor 10 Monaten
Chicago’s students deserve smaller class sizes, school librarians, and fully funded special education services, not more cuts to the people and programs they rely on. CTU Vice President Jackson Potter joined Fox 32 News to explain what the recent budget vote means for our school communities and why Illinois must ask the wealthy to pay their fair share to restore critical positions and give every student the support they deserve.
Chicago Teachers Union45,872 Aufrufe • vor 17 Tagen
For too long, Chicago has been told to accept less. Less support. Less opportunity. Less investment in the students who need it most. But our students don't need another round of cuts, they need the fully funded public schools they've been promised. As CPS considers a budget built on layoffs and furloughs, school board president candidate and special education teacher Hilario Dominguez lays out a different vision: one that invests in universal pre-K, sustainable community schools, and the resources every student deserves. Governor Pritzker must call a special session and deliver the funding our students have been waiting for.
Chicago Teachers Union36,640 Aufrufe • vor 22 Tagen
Last week, CPS voted for the first time to balance the budget by holding the governor and General Assembly accountable for their skipped payments instead of by punishing students. Despite intimidation and threats from CPS lawyers, 11 board members, including board member Jitu Brown, voted to invest in our students. Brown retold the horror stories of the harm and lives lost due to school closings. We cannot return to the era of school closures. The passed budget amendment demands the state pay the $2 billion it owes to our students and our school communities. But the fight is not over. We need Governor Pritzker to work with Speaker Welch and Senate President Harmon to make good on the state’s debt.
Chicago Teachers Union16,744 Aufrufe • vor 14 Tagen
Speaker Welch just committed to supporting supplemental funding for public schools during the veto session. Referring to the layoffs at CPS, he said, "This shouldn't be happening." The Board should fix the budget, cancel the layoffs, and push Springfield to give our students the school year they deserve.
Chicago Teachers Union21,585 Aufrufe • vor 22 Tagen
Members of City Council just sent a loud and clear message to Chicagoans. 25 alders would rather protect the biggest corporations in Chicago than protect you from another property tax hike. Meanwhile families are already getting hit with property tax increases, rising rents, higher grocery bills, and impending cuts to school budgets. We deserve a budget that protects Chicago, not one that squeezes the people who keep this city running. Call your alder. Tell them to vote YES on the Protecting Chicago Budget. It’s time for the wealthiest corporations to finally pay their share.
Chicago Teachers Union107,768 Aufrufe • vor 9 Monaten
For 10 months, CPS has ignored discussing progressive solutions for school funding. Yesterday, we presented a side letter with 25 revenue ideas — from taxing data centers to closing corporate loopholes. CPS? They had just ONE idea for new funding, and it was funding that was already allocated to CPS for this year. Our students deserve libraries, smaller class sizes, and fully funded schools—but CEO Martinez refuses to embrace real solutions. We are not the obstacle to progress—we are guiding the way toward real solutions.
Chicago Teachers Union198,099 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
When ICE activity spread near Benito Juarez High School and his home, teacher and CTU delegate James Klock turned fear into action. He fired up his 3D printer and has started making whistles of resistance. 600 and counting. Each one is a symbol of solidarity, safety, and sound that cuts through fear. Because the only people who keep us safe are us.
Chicago Teachers Union100,294 Aufrufe • vor 9 Monaten
"The city council has two options: They can tax the rich or they can decimate services and tax working-class people." - Mayor Brandon Johnson 90% of Black and Latine voters support taxing ultra-wealthy corporations to protect our city. And Mayor Brandon Johnson's Protecting Chicago Budget does just that — it makes wealthy corporations pay their share, instead of raising taxes on working people. And it invests a historic $1 billion TIF surplus into our schools, communities, and people. When we invest in our people, instead of protecting the ultra-rich, we build the city our communities deserve. The choice is clear: Invest in people, not cuts. Tell city council to choose people over corporations. Vote YES on the Protecting Chicago Budget.
Chicago Teachers Union84,607 Aufrufe • vor 9 Monaten
In Albany Park, when federal agents tried to abduct a neighbor, CTU member Gabe Paez sounded the alarm and a community answered the call. Parents, elders, neighbors and students protested, documented, and defended their neighbors. Fighting fear with solidarity, this is how we build safety. We don’t wait for anyone else to save us. We keep us safe.
Chicago Teachers Union86,288 Aufrufe • vor 9 Monaten
At the 18th Street Pink Line, Reverend Tanya Lozano asked one simple question: Who should pay for this city: the working families who make it run or the billionaires who keep getting a free ride? Chicagoans didn’t hesitate. Ping-pong ball after ping-pong ball landed in the same tube: Tax the rich. The Protecting Chicago Budget keeps schools, parks, libraries, youth jobs and mental health care wholewithout raising property taxes. Tell your alder to vote YES. Working families have already paid enough.
Chicago Teachers Union73,884 Aufrufe • vor 8 Monaten
Yesterday, educators, athletic directors, and librarians stood up one by one at the Board of Education meeting to describe exactly what the preliminary budget cuts will do to Chicago students. They will cut lead coach & mentor positions, eliminate high school Athletic Director roles, leave coaches without stipends they're owed, and shut down school libraries. We were loud and clear: CTU is calling on Governor Pritzker and Illinois lawmakers to convene a special session to pay the $2 billion owed to Chicago and fully fund schools statewide before these cuts hit classrooms this fall. 📢Our students deserve nothing less. Fully fund our schools!
Chicago Teachers Union17,070 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
Mayor Brandon Johnson reminded Chicago exactly who’s been draining this city: the ultra-wealthy corporations that received massive Trump-era tax cuts — while working families got cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, and the basic services they rely on. He made it clear that in a moment when the president is“declaring war on poor people,”the last thing Chicago should do is raise property, grocery, or garbage taxes on working-class families — the very taxes some aldermen are pushing. The Protecting Chicago Budget charts a different path. It invests in people, protects working-class neighborhoods, and demands that corporations finally pay their fair share. As the Mayor said,“This budget tells a story of abundance. There’s more than enough for everyone.” Aldermen voting against this budget are siding with billionaires and ultra-wealthy corporations. We demand that they protect Chicago, its schools and its families instead. Call your alder today and tell them to vote on the side of working-class Chicagoans — and pass the Protecting Chicago budget.
Chicago Teachers Union74,466 Aufrufe • vor 9 Monaten
Come January 20, our country will inaugurate a president who has promised mass deportations, a voucher-mania agenda that threatens public education, and attacks on those who dare to teach the truth in our schools. Well, guess what — we’re going to fight him at every turn, and securing a fair contract and full funding for our schools is the first step toward winning that fight.
Chicago Teachers Union88,976 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
Cook County Commissioner and CTU member Tara Stamps breaks down big news: Cook County Promise, the guaranteed income pilot, is being extended with an additional $7.5 million to support even more families! This is the first permanent county-wide guaranteed income program in the country. Guaranteed income means more families have more money in their pockets to spend on what matters most. $500 a month is helping families breathe easier, cover essentials, and regain stability. This is what putting people before politics looks like. Thank you to Commissioner Tara Stamps for your courageous work to get this historic policy passed. 🙌🏿
Chicago Teachers Union41,299 Aufrufe • vor 8 Monaten
This week we headed to Springfield because Illinois has the resources to fully fund public education — but Governor Pritzker and the Democratic supermajority still have to decide whose side they’re on. Are they on the side of billionaires and corporate tax breaks? Or are they with students, educators, and working families? We showed up to back HB 5409 and SB 3701, which ends proration, and demand the state finally meet its own funding promises. There are more educators than billionaires. And we’re organizing like it.
Chicago Teachers Union30,651 Aufrufe • vor 5 Monaten
On May 1, 2026, we take action, together. Through our collective bargaining, we secured the ability to stand united on May Day with No School. No Work. No Shopping. Now, we build community, engage democracy and rally with workers, students, and families to demand a city that puts people over profit.
Chicago Teachers Union23,880 Aufrufe • vor 4 Monaten