CTU Backs May 1 'No School, No Work' Action as Mayor Aims to Preserve Class Time

Overview

• The Chicago Teachers Union’s House of Delegates approved a resolution to join a national May 1 day of “no school, no work, no shopping.”
• The resolution urges the mayor and the school board to declare an official day of action and cites an Illinois law allowing one excused civic-event absence for middle and high school students.
• Planned activities include age-appropriate civic lessons, labor history programming, voter registration, know-your-rights training, rallies, and marches.
• The union’s platform calls for taxing the wealthy to fund schools, keeping ICE out of cities, and opposing policies it attributes to MAGA politicians and corporate interests.
• Johnson signaled support for the broader movement but said he will work with Chicago Public Schools to avoid lost instructional time, as commentary from right-leaning outlets criticized the plan and recalled a 2016 one-day action that drew a CPS legal challenge.