Teachers and staff at the Chicago International Charter Schools’ Civitas campuses voted on Thursday to form the first union among the charter schools in the city. Nearly 60% of the 125 faculty and staff voted in the union – the Chicago Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff or ChicagoACTS – to assure that their voice is added to the school’s operations and future success.
"Throughout the past few months, we have not lost focus on why we wanted to unionize in the first place. We firmly believe teachers need a voice in the creation and implementation of school policy and should feel secure enough in their jobs to speak out on important issues. Success at Civitas schools can only come when we all work collaboratively as a team," said Emily Mueller, a high school Spanish teacher at the Civitas Northtown Academy and a union member.
CICS/Civitas management tried repeatedly over many months to interrupt the teachers drive for the union. When 75% of the teachers submitted authorization cards in April to the Illinois authority and the state certified a union under state law, school management started a legal fight over the "public" or "private" sector status of the teachers with the federal authority.
The "public charter school" operator CICS/Civitas, with its tens of millions of public funds, went to the National Labor Relations Board to assert the "private" employment of its teachers. In the face of CICS/Civitas legal maneuvers, the Illinois legislature acted to express their support for the public status of charter school teachers and passed a new law to declare the public nature of charter educators.
Two weeks ago, the NLRB ruled in the CICS/Civitas favor and scheduled an election for June 18. School management got its wish – but not the outcome they hoped for. The teachers stood strong despite repeated approaches by management to undermine the support for a union and a binding contract that would formalize the teachers participation at the schools.
Civitas teachers now will enter into negotiations to secure the first contract at any charter school in Chicago. As can be seen at the schools where the members of AFTACTS teach, there is clear evidence that a union contract contributes to school innovation and high student performance - just like at succesful public schools - across the country.
ChicagoACTS will continue to work with charter teachers across Chicago – home to President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan – to bring the union movement city-wide and give other teachers the respect and voice at work that is needed at charter schools.