SEIU Local 1 and SEIU Local 73 Joint Statement on Chicago Public Schools’ Draconian Decision to Gut Custodial Workforce Weeks Before School Year Starts
The announcement came on Friday, August 1, 2025, without any warning, transition plan, or input from community members; It did come with a potential disastrous impact on the CPS community
CHICAGO – Just weeks before students return to class, Chicago Public Schools made a disastrous decision that will adversely impact students throughout Chicago. The district blindsided the entire CPS community and specifically the more than 1,200 essential SEIU Local 1 custodians with devastating layoffs, recklessly choosing to attempt to balance its budget on the backs of Black and brown workers at the expense of the safety and cleanliness of our children and their schools. In a move that lacks transparency, planning, or respect, CPS is displacing SEIU Local 1 custodians and relocating a portion of those jobs in-house under SEIU Local 73, resulting in an estimated 500 job losses. These cuts come just a year after 300 positions were already cut, leaving the workforce with a deficit of 800 frontline workers who keep the buildings clean for students and staff.
CPS made this announcement in the shadows, after hosting roundtable conversations with the community where the cuts were never disclosed. There was no warning, no clarity, and no plan, leaving families, the district, and communities in chaos.
These cuts won’t solve the budget problem but will cause complete disruption and chaos for the entire CPS community weeks before school starts. Balancing the books off the backs of some of the lowest-paid workers in the district is a reckless and short-sighted decision that doesn’t reach real solutions.
CPS has spent years quietly whittling down its janitorial workforce. Now, it’s pushing longtime custodians out of a secure union job with benefits, forcing them to start over under a less stable, underfunded city pension system that requires a decade of new service before vesting. This isn’t just an attack on custodians — it’s a blow to the heart of the CPS community.
SEIU Local 1 and SEIU Local 73 sent a letter to the CPS School Board, Mayor Brandon Johnson, and all applicable decision makers demanding the following:
Minimize draconian custodial cuts: CPS has already slashed too many custodial positions, leaving schools dangerously understaffed. CPS must commit to transitioning more SEIU Local 1 jobs in-house.
Protect longtime custodians: SEIU Local 1 custodians have served CPS students and families for decades – they are a part of the fabric of CPS’s community. These workers must be guaranteed the first right of refusal for any custodial position created through this transition.
Preserve pay and benefits for all transitions: Any SEIU Local 1 custodian who transitions into an in-house role represented by SEIU Local 73 must retain their current rate of pay and maintain the minimum benefits they currently receive.
“Over the years, CPS has cut and cut and cut, but this latest decision of displacing all 1,200 SEIU Local 1 custodians goes too far and will have devastating consequences on the future of the district and our communities,” said SEIU Local 1 President Genie Kastrup. “You can’t eliminate 1,200 custodians just two weeks before school starts without any real plan for how these buildings will be cleaned and ready. Our kids deserve a safe and healthy learning environment on day one. Instead, CPS is forcing longtime workers who have dedicated decades to these schools to reapply as probationary hires, with lower wages, no seniority, and pushed into an underfunded pension. That’s not just disrespectful, it’s dangerous. Meanwhile, they’re leaving in-house custodians, teachers, principals, and parents scrambling in the chaos. This is poor leadership.”
“We’re already hearing from schools that we can’t keep up with cleaning standards, and that’s before hundreds more positions are eliminated,” said SEIU Local 73 President Dian Palmer. “This rushed decision will leave children learning in unsanitary classrooms and have massive impacts on their health. CPS’s complete disregard for our children’s health and safety is deeply troubling. They are knowingly setting up custodians to fail by severely understaffing, and it’s the students who will pay the price.”
“I’ve worked in CPS schools for over 15 years. I know every hallway, every student's smile, and every teacher who stays late. My life is ingrained in this school district, and now they’re throwing us away like we don’t matter. I’ve got bills, I’ve got family, and now I’ve got nothing. After decades of service, I will be without a job, an income, or healthcare in a matter of weeks. This is not how you treat people who’ve dedicated their lives to keeping these schools running.” Maria Avila, displaced custodian and Vice President of SEIU Local 1.