Chicago Tribune rips 'outlandish' teachers union for demanding higher pay: 'Should be embarrassed'

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The Chicago Tribune editorial board called out "outlandish" teachers unions in the city for demanding higher pay on Monday, noting the media yearly salary for Chicago Public School teachers is nearly $95,000.

"Chicago Public Schools teachers are extraordinarily well paid given the norms of their profession," the editorial board wrote. "The median salary for a CPS teacher is nearly $95,000. That’s 21% more than teachers make in Cook County’s suburbs, where median pay is $78,000. What’s more, CPS says it pays its teachers more than any other large school district in the nation, and that’s before whatever increases they get in union contract negotiations that are ongoing." 

The Chicago Teachers Union is demanding a 9% annual raise for teachers. The teachers’ union is calling for an extra $50 billion in funding to cover wage hikes as well as other demands.

"The Chicago Teachers Union continues to demand 9% annual raises, an outlandish ask, and is growing ever more shrill as CPS CEO Pedro Martinez and his administration try to hold the line on behalf of Chicago’s beleaguered taxpayers and in the face of heavy pressure from Mayor Brandon Johnson to give CTU everything it wants," the editorial board added. 

The Tribune Tower, home of the Chicago Tribune sits along Michigan Avenue on the Chicago River on October 8, 2015, in Chicago, Illinois.  ((Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images))

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The Tribune editorial board also noted that the Chicago public school system was suffering from "chronic absenteeism" among teachers.

"So, given the audacity of these CTU demands and salaries that already are among the highest in the nation, one might think that CPS teachers would be motivated to show up for work. School administrators tend to put great emphasis on student attendance, but precious little attention is paid to how frequently teachers miss work," the editorial board wrote.

State records show that over 41% of CPS teachers exceeded 10 days of absence last year, the Chicago Tribune reported. These absences are in addition to the built-in vacation time allotted to teachers for the school year, which includes ten days for winter break, five for spring break and eight additional days off for holidays, according to the outlet. 

"Why is it that all we hear from CTU is demands for more, but we never hear anything from the union about what its members owe the taxpayers (and parents) of this city?" the Tribune said.

Chicago Teachers Union president Stacy Davis Gates, left, stands with Mayor Brandon Johnson as he arrives at the Legler Regional Branch of the Chicago Public Library to read to students from Genevieve Melody STEM Elementary School on Feb. 7, 2024. (errence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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The editorial board said the Chicago Teachers Union and its president, Stacy Davis Gates, should be "embarrassed."

"And in Chicago showing up is the least we should expect from our very well-compensated public-school educators," the editorial board concluded.

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 Fox News' Yael Halon contributed to this report.