Thought the Covid emergency was over? The Chicago Teachers Union announced last week that it got the school system to extend the five emergency sick days granted during the pandemic to the coming academic year, plus two additional days for good measure. From the CTU’s announcement:
Last year, state law was amended to provide for up to five (5) additional paid public health emergency (PHE) sick days for educators who contract Covid. That provision in state law, however, expired…. We know that Covid is still around, though. And, as part of the resolution of several pending Covid bargaining disputes from 2021 and 2022, we were able to get CPS to agree to extend the PHE sick leave benefit for confirmed cases of Covid-19 through the 2023-24 school year. Additionally, also as part of the resolution of those Covid disputes, CPS has agreed to make a one-time allocation of two (2) banked sick days to all employees in CTU’s bargaining unit for the 2023-24 school year. [Emphasis added.]
The full notice from the union is linked here.
-Mark Glennon
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Two weeks paid vacation, 3 personal business days. 10 sick days that accumulate to a maximum of 200. Now 5 PHE days added to the total. Because of their exposure to children with all of the colds and viruses they’re exposed too, let’s just pay teachers to stay home.
Home Schooling? Like many parents do but they get no pay or benefits other than a good education for their kids. The parents can then say they have skin in the game.
The CTU should come out and issue a statement such as “ We( cough) really just don’t ( cough, sniffle) want to come to work and ( sniffle) deal with your children in person anymore ( sniffing hock, cough), but keep ( sneeze) increasing our salaries.”
Two points– 1.) are the negotiated contracts meaningless if extra sick days, maternity leave, etc, and who knows what else can be seemingly added at any time? 2.) I’m sure all other public sector unions are going to be asking for 2 extra sick days (no contract negotiating required).
All CTU members are plainly scum of the earth. They are not teachers. They are parasitic vermin like maggots and ticks. If you are a CTU member know this about yourself.
All? That seems more opinion than fact, showing more personal bias than an attempt to be taken seriously. Ever hear of statistical analysis? Probably not, and letting off steam makes you feel so good and with so little effort, too, right?
Why would CTU teachers bother to come to work? No meaningful work standards, no minimum competency requirements, readily-approved near-unrestricted paid sick-leave, parental-leave, family-leave, institutional holidays, teacher “workshop days”, and established 9-month/year 8-3 pm work schedules, etc. And then super-duper generous pension at minimal contribution. Every parent knows that a day “taught” by a substitute teacher is yet another lost day of all meaningful educational opportunity for affected students. With exception of selective enrollment CPS schools, most CPS schools are now functioning as de facto minimal standard day-care service-providers for elementary school children, and holding pen for non-truant high school students.… Read more »
Your description seems full of envy as well as hate. Maybe you want to change careers if it’s so good. Oh, wait! There’s also x, y and z on the downside, isn’t, there? No, Mr. Bullhorn, I think you’ll continue to stay put enjoying the luxury of having no skin in that game while spouting your envy/hatred combo propaganda from the safety and comfort of your own little castle. You’re just another blowhard chair-born General!
Here is some info on what I was saying in previous posts a while back. Is unused vacation considered salary or a benefit? Arizona Supreme Court decided that using unused vacation time to spike a pension is not salary and cannot be used. This ruling may have broad implications across the country. The original article was behind a paywall on Bloomberg. Here it is. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/employee-benefits/public-pensions-may-rethink-vacation-payouts-after-court-ruling
https://www.bloomberglaw.com/public/desktop/document/StateCountyandMunicipalEmployeesLocal2384vCityofPhoenixNoCV190143?doc_id=XDR2EPDG000N
Rockford school district has the dubious distinction of having the highest value of pension spiking penalties in Illinois at $3M+ and counting.
I have commented on this in the past Freddy. Rockford doesn’t allow one to use unused sick days to spike pensions. If they did, they then have to pay the additional costs. It’s all the contract for you to review.
I will try to find the contract. Rockford school district does pay the penalties on anything over the 6% allowed legally per year. Many people spiking their pensions were close to 20% some more to increase the pension. Penalties were paid but by whom? Not the pensioner but by the district most likely and where did they get the money but from the taxpayers. Maybe you can find the article I am referring to. It was in an old Chicago Tribune detailed report entitled “Taxpayers socked Twice-Pensions and Penalties detailing school districts with the highest penalties and some districts and… Read more »
Here is a similar article but not the one I was referring to. The 6% spike is exceeded many times in most school districts. I had a discussion with my local rep on how to curtail simply put-the abuse of the law but it went nowhere.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-school-pension-loopholes-met-20150722-story.html
A 6% salary increase can happen from different factors but it’s not from unused sick time being added to salary Freddy. A coach taking on the role in the last few years can cause this from the additional stipend. The teachers contract in Rockford does not allow what you are worried about. There is nothing to “fix” here.
Instead of posting articles relating to pension spiking I suggest actually reading directly from the teachers contracts. When you post a link that shows it is allowed then you’ll have something.
Directly from their contract. Staff members possessing a minimum of ten years of service with the District shall be eligible for a retirement severance payment computed by multiplying his/her last daily rate of pay by twenty percent (20%) of accumulated sick leave days in excess of 105. This payment shall be made after the staff member’s receipt of his/her final paycheck from the District for services rendered, subject to the exception appearing below. The severance payment shall be made either with or prior to receipt of the staff member’s final paycheck, either in whole or part, to the extent such… Read more »
Thanks for the info. Salary increases do not count as spiking. Example a person making $100K gets a 6% raise now salary is $106K.
https://www.imrf.org/en/employers/employer-resources/pension-spiking-and-the-accelerated-payment-webinar-resources
This is directly from the IMRF website-2016 Pension Spiking are the first few words in the seminar. It is pretty clear that how to spike is taught to maximize the pension.
http://stump.marypat.org/article/264/illinois-pensions-and-spiking-not-all-penalties-are-deterrents
I agree that in your example there would be no penalty. However, a teacher that would take on additional duties such as coaching along with their contractual raise can push them over the 6% threshold. Public Act 94-0004, signed into law in June 2005, requires employer contributions for salary increases in excess of 6 percent. When a member retires, the employer is required to pay TRS contributions equal to the actuarial value of a pension benefit that results from any salary increase over 6 percent that is used in a retiring member’s final average salary calculation. ANY salary increase above… Read more »
Technically, applying unused sick days to service time is a pension spike. Most teachers with 32 years experience (70.4% vested) will convert those 2 years worth of unused sick days to service time to reach 75% full vesting.
How would that “technically” be a pension spike nixit? Do districts have to pay the actuarial costs (penalty) for the teacher to use unused sick time to gain more service credit? If not then by definition it’s not a “spike”.
That might be your definition but not for the purposes of this discussion.
Sorry Teach, but everyone that pays ever increasing taxes to their school district whether they have children in school or not has skin in the game and, as such, a right to an opinion and to question as to the mismanagement of said money.
Sure, but the commenter was way overarchingly stupid with his adolescent level analysis. Everyone here should give comments with adult level analysis or caveat emptor applies.
And, perhaps, someday a ministry such as the left is aching for will determine whether an opinion or analysis is “ stupid “ or “ misinformation “.
What I want most of all is responsible, thought-provoking opinion. l don’t care nearly so much whether it agrees with me as I do about how thoughtfully and maybe even politely expressed. Agreement is appreciated but not essential; we should all feel free to express our point of view, but let’s do so as grown-ups instead of angry, out-of-control children as is way-too-often the case here. Anger begets anger and reduces the chances for seeing compromise.
May I suggest that a first step would be to refrain from the pseudo-psychological analysis, and stop suggesting that those who believe the current situation is wrong are merely jealous or envious? It’s hard to see how that is “thought-provoking”.
Where’s my factual error?
Please restate one “fact” if you want my reply. Throwing a bucket-load of “facts” often leads to a quagmire of back-and-forth commentary usually leading nowhere profitable and growing more heated with each exchange. Facts all too often here are just someone’s tightly held opinion. You might consider whether your “fact” is really that and not something else you label as that.
CPS schools are woke madrasses. They function only to indoctrinate students in critical consciousness.
I had to read the CTU statement at least three times to make sure it really says what it says. It’s unbelievable. The CTU is looting the city in plain view.
That is what happens when you don’t support the balanced budget amendment.
The future of Chicago is irreversible. The voting majority prefer to die with their “feelings” than listen to logic or see reality. In this type of situation, the word “hope” and the word “delusion” are identical. Chicagoans are delusional to have hope for better days. Each day will only get worse. Time is running out for them. Since Chicago is such a big part of Illinois, time is also running out for the state. When the timer stops ticking, its usually a good idea to be far, far away.
Chicago voters have chosen to hold tight to their woke, ultra-liberal beliefs. They will continue to hold tight, despite being exposed to graphs, charts, and statistics that contradict their beliefs. It’s all about “feelings” with liberals. Facts don’t matter and must be wrong if they are different than their feelings.
They’ll never change their views until it becomes so socially unacceptable that they have to.
CPS teachers can accrue a year’s worth of sick days. Why not let them use some of their 100 or so banked sick days when they’re sick from COVID? Sick is sick.
From the beginning, I’ve argued for an eligibility cut-off for these free COVID days. If a teacher has more than 40 sick days banked, they should have to pull from their sick bank, anything less qualifies as “free” sick days. That’s more than generous. This reluctance to let teachers use a benefit as intended is maddening.
Spot on Nix,
I’ll even support a CTA member giving up some banked sick days to a less fortunate union brother or sister. No more cashing in unused sick days…..
This would intersect with their left wing mindset. “Each from his ability to each according to his need.”
Jessey, you can incorporate this idea free of my normal consulting fee.
Thanks for the update Mark.
One thing I did not read in full statement was a “however…” as in “however, in order to get these concessions we did have to agree to the following…”