We hope you're dried off from yesterday's storms. This Thursday, we have stories on the CPS-CTU contract, CPD traffic stops and an interview with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
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(WTTW News)
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The Chicago Teachers Union took the next step toward approving its new labor contract late Wednesday after its largest governing body signed off on the proposal. The union’s 730-member House of Delegates voted in favor of the four-year contract agreement, meaning the proposed deal will now go to the CTU’s 30,000 members for a final ratification vote.
The agreement — which Chicago Public Schools officials say will cost $1.5 billion over the life of the deal — must also be approved by Chicago’s 21-member, partially elected Board of Education, which must also figure out how to pay for the deal. Wednesday’s vote comes two days after the union announced it had reached a tentative agreement with Chicago Public Schools following nearly a year of bargaining. Under the proposed deal, teachers will see raises of 4% to 7.5% in the first year and 4% to 8.5% each during the remaining three years of the deal, depending on their level of education and tenure, officials said.
Some backstory:
Negotiations began last April on an optimistic note. The sides agreed to open some bargaining sessions to the public for the first time and the union had a friend in the mayor’s office following the election of former middle school teacher and CTU organizer Brandon Johnson. But tensions rose between the sides as month after month passed without a deal.
The union repeatedly pointed the finger, not at Johnson, but CPS CEO Pedro Martinez, calling him the “main obstacle” to finishing a contract. Martinez also drew the ire of Johnson. The mayor has repeatedly pressed school district officials to borrow money to cover employee pensions and labor costs, while Martinez has called that proposal “exorbitant” and fiscally irresponsible. Martinez later refused a request by Johnson to resign his position, but the final act of the CPS Board made up of members appointed by Johnson was to fire Martinez without cause, leaving him in office until June.
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(WTTW News)
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Chicago police continued to target Black and Latino drivers with a massive campaign of traffic stops that failed to make the city safer in 2024 amid “significant concerns about transparency and accountability in CPD’s reporting,” according to a new analysis from a coalition of groups.
Who made the report and what does it say?
According to a new report from Impact for Equity, a nonprofit advocacy and research organization that has helped lead the push to reform the Chicago Police Department, approximately 65% of the more than 293,000 traffic stops made by CPD officers and reported to state officials were prompted by improper or expired registration plates or stickers and headlight, taillight and license plate light offenses.
Although CPD reported making 45% fewer traffic stops in 2024 than in 2023, the number of stops prompted by improper registration or nonworking vehicle lights dropped just 2% as compared with 2023 data, according to the report. By comparison, 1.5% of all traffic stops in 2024 were prompted by excessive speed. It also said that CPD officers should not be allowed to make stops because of licensing or registration offenses or equipment violations.
A quote:
“Rather than curbing dangerous driving behavior or uncovering serious crimes, these stops continue to erode trust between the police and communities they serve and waste our city’s public safety resources,” according to the statement from the coalition. “The commitment to this ineffective and harmful pretextual stop strategy highlights the urgent need for lasting policy reforms.”
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Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle appears on "Chicago Tonight" on April 1, 2025. (WTTW News)
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Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle says retirement isn’t for her. “I don’t believe in retirement,” said Preckwinkle, who last month on her 78th birthday announced she will run for a fifth consecutive term in 2026. “If I didn’t do this job, I’d pick another one and it wouldn’t be as interesting or challenging or as impactful,” said Preckwinkle, who has led Cook County since 2010.
In an interview with “Chicago Tonight,” Preckwinkle said that being elected to public service was a huge honor and dismissed concerns over her age. “I always say that in a democracy the highest honor your fellow citizens can bestow upon you is elective office, so I’ve been blessed,” said Preckwinkle, who prior to ascending to the leadership of Cook County served for nearly two decades as a Chicago City Council member representing the 4th Ward on the South Side.
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Back in the Day: April 3, 1979 - Jane Byrne Elected as Chicago’s First Woman Mayor
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Forty-six years ago today, Jane Byrne upended the city’s political machine to become not only the first woman elected as Chicago’s mayor but the first woman to be elected mayor in any major city. She won 82% of the vote against her Republican challenger Wallace Johnson. Byrne’s rise was partially due to the botched response to the Blizzard of ‘79 by the previous mayor Michael Bilandic, whose slow and chaotic snow removal plan couldn’t match the near 30-inch totals. While Chicago had been buried for weeks under powder, the February Democratic Primary was a sunny day, ultimately sinking Bilandic and benefitting Byrne. She served one term before losing to Richard J. Daley’s son, Richard M. Daley, in the 1983 mayoral election. Check out “Chicago Stories: Jane Byrne” to learn more about the political pioneer.
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This Week’s Arts and Culture Events
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Every Thursday, WTTW News arts correspondent Marc Vitali highlights the city’s must-see cultural events.
Marc Vitali: Here are some early blooms of the spring arts season. Make a bouquet and share them with someone you love.
National Public Housing Museum, Grand Opening – 919 S. Ada St.
The first museum of its kind will occupy the last remaining building of the 1930s-era Jane Addams Homes. Explore exhibits and restored apartments from different generations of residents. Special programs include a dance party with DJ Spinderella and art-making sessions. The city’s newest museum is located right off Taylor Street on the near West Side. Opens April 4
Chicago Latino Film Festival – various locations
The festival returns for its 41st year, spotlighting pan-Latino cinema and culture. Over 9 days, over 50 features and 30 shorts will be screened. The films come from the Americas, the Caribbean, Spain and local filmmakers. Dramas, comedies, horror films and documentaries will play at the Davis Theater, Landmark Century Cinema and Instituto Cervantes. April 3-14
CSO Chamber Music – Driehaus Museum
Musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra perform works to complement an art exhibition at the Driehaus Museum. Music by Philip Glass and Beethoven will fill the 1883 mansion, and the curator of the show “A Tale of Today” will introduce the work of contemporary artists who created site-specific installations based on materials found inside the extravagant building. Tues, April 8
“The Book of Grace” – Steppenwolf Theatre
This Chicago premiere promises to be a fiery family portrait. Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks has updated her 2010 play for the current moment. When an estranged son returns home, his stepmother tries to mend fences while his father patrols them – he’s a border guard in Texas. Expect fireworks from the writer of “Topdog/Underdog.” Through May 18
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Baseball is back. The NHL, NBA, MLS, NWSL and college basketball are still playing too. What's
your favorite Chicago sports memory?
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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5:30 PM | 10:00 PM
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
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