Teachers at City Colleges of Chicago demanding to be heard as classroom sizes expand

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Adult educators at City Colleges of Chicago are calling for a fair union contract as the need for teachers continues to grow in the city.

Adult educators and their labor allies rallied together outside of Harold Washington College downtown, demanding a fair contract.

Anders Lindall, Director of Public Affairs for AFSCME Council 31, said adult educators at City Colleges of Chicago offer classes such English as a Second Language (ESL) and more.

“There are 100,000 young adults in the city of Chicago who were failed by the traditional educational system and did not get a high school degree. Adult educators provide what we used to call a GED, that is a high school equivalency degree,” Lindall said.

John Towns teaches ESL and says there's not enough teachers to accommodate the influx of migrants enrolled into the free city program.

“When I first started working here, there was over 1000 teachers. We're down to less than 300 now, but our enrollment is going up higher than ever,” Towns said.

The teachers represented by the trade union AFSCME plans to meet with college administrators next on July 19.

They're asking for better job security, seniority rights, and the elimination of an unfair wage tier  that has kept their pay low for more than a decade.

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