SPRINGFIELD –A longtime champion of worker’s rights and increasing support for education workers, State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas is supporting a measure that would allow principals and assistant principals in the city of Chicago to collectively bargain.

“Workers in all roles can suffer under unfair workplace policies—even those in managerial positions with more power in the workplace than others,” Senator Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago) said. “School principals should have the same right to organize and demand change in their working conditions as other employees, and this law will ensure they can do just that.” 

By clarifying which educators are considered qualified “managerial employees”, House Bill 5107 ensures principals and assistant principals in Chicago will have the right to unionize.

“Principals are our school’s leaders. If we trust principals to lead our schools, we should also trust them to try to make changes when an environment is detrimental to their success,” Pacione-Zayas said. “Allowing principals to form unions will allow them to foster a workplace that supports them—allowing them to better support our children on their learning journey.”

If signed, principals and assistant principals could negotiate a work contract to focus time on developing teachers and school culture instead of dealing with problems that fall under the district’s responsibility.

School administrators in New York, California, New Hampshire, Alaska, Connecticut and several other states have collective bargaining rights.

House Bill 5107 passed the Senate Friday and awaits the governor’s approval.