The Board of Education of the City of Chicago is embroiled in a legal battle over allegations of unfair labor practices. On June 28, 2024, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board (IELRB) affirmed that the Board had indeed committed such practices against a teacher involved in union activities. The complaint was filed by Terra Sinkevicius, who alleged that her employer, Chicago Public Schools (CPS), disciplined her in retaliation for her union involvement.
Terra Sinkevicius, hired in 2015 to teach Mandarin Chinese at Wadsworth Elementary School, began participating in union activities in October 2017. She attended union meetings and played a significant role in filing grievances with the Chicago Teachers Union regarding various issues at her school. However, after she started engaging in these activities, she faced multiple disciplinary actions from Principal Rashid Shabazz between 2018 and 2019. Sinkevicius claimed these actions were retaliatory due to her union involvement.
In October 2018, Shabazz issued a Step Two warning to Sinkevicius for misusing the CPS email system after she sent mass emails during instructional hours. This was followed by another warning when she allegedly berated a substitute teacher and yet another when she reportedly failed to supervise students properly during an outdoor class session. Each incident was met with escalating disciplinary measures culminating in a Step Three final warning for failing to report a student fight.
Sinkevicius contested these disciplinary actions through mediation/arbitration as allowed under the collective bargaining agreement between CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union. Some of the disciplinary measures were reduced or dismissed entirely during this process. Despite this, further incidents occurred leading to additional warnings including one for allegedly encouraging students to skip standardized tests and another for being rude to parents regarding their child's grades.
In February 2019, Sinkevicius filed an unfair labor practice charge against CPS with the IELRB. The administrative law judge (ALJ) assigned to the case found that there was a connection between Sinkevicius’s union activities and the adverse actions taken against her by CPS. The ALJ recommended that certain disciplinary decisions be expunged from her record. The IELRB adopted most of these recommendations but did not address all incidents comprehensively.
CPS appealed this decision directly to the appellate court arguing that their disciplinary actions were justified based on legitimate business reasons unrelated to Sinkevicius's union activities. However, the appellate court upheld IELRB's decision stating that there was sufficient evidence showing a nexus between Sinkevicius’s protected union activity and CPS’s adverse actions against her.
The plaintiffs are seeking judgment from the court affirming IELRB's decision which includes orders for CPS to cease retaliating against employees for union activities and expunge specific disciplinary records from Sinkevicius’s file.
Representing Terra Sinkevicius is attorney [Plaintiff's Lawyer Name], while CPS is represented by [Defendant's Lawyer Name]. Presiding over this case is Justice Howse with Justices McBride and Cobbs concurring in judgment under Case ID No. 1-23-1474.