CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and Mayor Lori Lightfoot pointed fingers at each other Wednesday over who bears blame for the delay in extending paid parental leave for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) employees.
In September 2022, Lightfoot announced City workers would be eligible for 12 weeks paid parental leave. After the announcement, there were negotiations to give CPS employees the same perk, but the union said City lawyers backed off in December.
On Wednesday morning, members of CTU and SEIU, which represents support staff, called on the mayor to keep her promise as they delivered thousands of signed petitions to Lightfoot’s office.
“It is extremely unfair that we are City workers, with the requirements of living in the city — a city I love — and paying city taxes, but we are not given the same parental leave as other City workers,” said teacher, and mother of three, Erin Jimenez.
High school history and psychology teacher Cassandra Tsitsopoulos said when she was in labor in July, she was told she would need an emergency cesarean section.
Although Tsitsopoulos was scared, she added that one of her first thoughts was that she would now get eight weeks of leave instead of six.
“In the wealthiest nation in the world — in one of the wealthiest cities in the world — to not have decent parental leave policy, where a woman will look on the bright side of a C-section, is medieval,” Tsitsopoulos said.
Lightfoot told reporters that the allegation from CTU is fundamentally untrue.
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“I’m the mayor who said, ‘This was a really good idea, and we should get it done.’” she said. “And we got it done for the City. What sense would it make for me to then say, ‘But I want to deny it to every other person outside of the City of Chicago, government proper.’ That doesn’t make any sense. I mean, just think of the logic — the absurdity — of that.”
The mayor said she wants CPS employees to have the extended parental leave benefit.
“I want this to be a policy of not only the City of Chicago, but our sister agencies,” Lightfoot said.
“But it has to be done through the collective bargaining process. They need to get to the table. They need to bring the CPS people along and get it done.”
Lightfoot said that hasn’t happened yet for the teachers, and she said the Chicago Police Department’s union rejected the offer for some reason.
CTU members pointed out that 80% of teachers and support staff for CPS are women.
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