>> Hello and thanks for joining us on Chicago tonight.

I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

The Chicago teachers union is weighing a contract proposal.

What a potential agreement could mean.

Illinois officials say the state is losing more than 400 million dollars in federal public health funding.

>> A look at the impact it could have on disease prevention.

>> The about but there we're not giving it up without a fight.

>> And local postal workers are fighting job cuts and efforts to privatized how it could affect the future of your mail delivery.

>> And now to some of today's top stories.

Members of the local transgender community are gathering on this year's transgender day of visibility to push back on the Trump administration's policies.

Today we honor the courage that it takes our chance community to live authentically.

>> In a world that is asking them and intimidating them into hiding.

Our visibility is powerful.

We will not hide.

It is resistance.

It is.

It is a declaration of our existence.

Want advocate held a news conference today calling out President Trump's executive orders limiting trance people's access to sports and bathrooms.

>> Erasing mention of trans people in government websites and passports and removing them from the military.

Many of those moves are being challenged in court.

Cleared him.

Green line riders may soon notice some construction at a Westside station.

That's because a 25 million dollar Reconstruction Project broke ground today at the Lines.

Austin Station in an effort to improve accessibility.

The project includes the installation of a new elevator and escalator.

A new ADA compliant ramps extension of the platform and reconstruction of stairs.

The main entrance of the station will be closed for construction starting in June and is expected to continue into next spring.

The project comes amid broader funding uncertainty that transit officials say stands in the way of efforts to make all rail stations fully accessible by 2038.

NASCAR says it will put the pedal to the metal when setting up and tearing down this summer's street race.

Officials say that process from start to finish will only take 25 days compared to 43 win the street race first began 2 years Neighbors and some officials had complained in previous years about the Reese's impact on street closures.

Parking restrictions and limited access to Grant Park.

Pre-race activity starts June 16th with race weekend set for July 5th and 6th and NASCAR set to host a community meeting on Wednesday to share more information about the upcoming race.

Details are on our website.

The latest on a potential contract agreement for Chicago public school teachers right after this.

>> Chicago tonight is made possible in part by the Alexander and John Nichols family.

The gym and K maybe family.

The Pope Brothers Foundation.

And the support of these donors.

>> The Chicago teachers Union could be close to making a contract deal.

Union negotiators were set to meet today to consider a proposal from the district.

It comes after almost a year of heated negotiations between the 2 sides.

Our Matt Masterson joins us now with an update on the bargaining process.

And Matt, you know, sort of bring us up to speed.

What is the status of negotiations right now and where are we in the process?

Yeah.

So the unions big bargaining team.

This is a few dozen members who helped negotiate this deal.

The Met today to consider a full set of proposals from CPS is part of this potential agreement.

>> She said this comes after a year negotiations started back in April of 2024. and smoothly.

But they became quite contentious as things went on between leadership and Chicago.

Public Schools CEO Peter Martinez, back to that, of course, was fired during the course of this.

But will be allowed to remain on the job as a part of a stipulation of contract for 6 months.

There have been a few sticking point left out there about prep time for elementary school teachers school Current teacher evaluation system.

But it seems like the sides have reached agreements on his proposals.

That's why this is now going to the bargaining team that we could see some resolution as soon as this week.

>> If the bargaining team in the district do have a tentative agreement, then what would happen next yesterday?

The teachers contract would not be finished just yet.

The next step is that this would go from this bargaining team to the two's House of Delegates.

This is the union's largest governing body made up of about 700 members.

>> That would happen on Wednesday.

They would get to vote on it.

If they prove it, then you would go to the full union membership of 30,000 rank and file members.

They would be to have the final say on whether or not to ratify this contract.

But even then the deal is not yet official.

That's everything from the union side.

But then the contract would also have to be approved by the Chicago Board of Education.

And of course, that's no longer just the 7 member Mayor Lee appointed board.

Now a 21 member partially elected body as well.

So it once it gets to the board, want to get through all those different union bodies, then this could be considered a done deal.

Not complicated.

Of you mentioned if you would have been some of the major sticking points during this process.

Yeah.

Outside of those final points on the prep time, the teacher youth pay obviously main topic.

But that was settled largely quite a bit ago.

There is also been a push from the union for more librarians, a cap on class sizes, more protections the employment for the teachers who have already been hired and going back to November when President Donald Trump was elected, the union has begun pushing for what they say is a basically a force field in this contract to prevent intrusion from the federal government from Washington.

Any attacks on the most vulnerable students or teachers in the city as well.

And they want this to contract to be part of that as well.

>> Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, we know that he also played a role in negotiations earlier this month when he called CTU President Stacy Davis Gates to his office, along with CPS CEO Pedro Martinez at City Hall.

Did that meeting help to reach the steal potential deal?

Yeah.

So there wasn't any immediate resolution after this.

It's like the sides all came together at that point.

>> But Johnson did say that this was a productive conversation between the leadership.

This was one of the first times he's really inserted himself into these conversations in the days after CPS in the Union, the did make what Johnson said.

We significant headway on those remaining sticking points after that conversation.

So it wasn't the turning point in negotiations per se, but it was significant that he finally took a role in getting the sides together for a conversation.

Yeah.

Some of us who covered this a long time.

We know like hopefully they're getting closer to a deal to bring the heavies in at the end.

Masterson, thank you so much.

Experience.

And you can read Matt's full story on our website.

It's all at W T Tw Dot com Slash news.

>> Illinois's Public Health funding is set to take a hit.

State officials say the Trump administration is pulling back more than 400 million dollars aimed at preventing infectious disease and treating treating mental health and substance abuse issues.

The funding is part of roughly 1.8 billion dollars.

The state is expecting to receive from the federal government but remains in limbo.

Joining us now with more our DR, Kiran, Joshi interim chief operating officer of the Cook County Department of Public Health.

And Zoom, Doctor, Samir Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health Doctors.

Thanks to both for joining us.

Welcome back, DR I want to start with you, please.

What do budget cuts of this size mean for your department, especially when the state of Illinois is already facing a tight budget year.

>> It is something will create debilitating effects were the only Department of Public Health in our public health community across the state of Illinois, this funding an initially provided during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was something that had continued, really, too.

Think about a few things.

Critical upgrades to our public health laboratories, improved technology to track infectious diseases, vaccination efforts.

And really, as we found out during the COVID-19 pandemic, our ability to lean into strategies to prepare for future emergencies.

All aspects that were provided for this federal funding money that was provided the state and or local health departments really to protect only residents from future and current public health emergencies.

>> Dr Joshi Cook County Health is losing to CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grants totaling 31 million dollars.

What was that money to be used for?

>> Thanks, Brent is so these funds are absolutely critical productive or as comments.

We had one CDC grant that funded work around community health workers.

These are leave people who often come from the very communities they serve.

That is extremely vulnerable.

Communities in play a crucial role in sharing health information as well as providing us with an understanding of what's happening at the community level.

So really, really critical work Brandis the other grant was a larger CDC grant that funded a variety of different activities, including things like increasing rates of pediatric vaccinations.

I think it should be obvious to anyone who's watching at this time.

How important that is, particularly when we're seeing outbreak of measles.

That is affecting communities across the country.

>> Cook County released a behavioral health workforce shortage report back in October, finding the state of Illinois doesn't have enough providers available to prevent diagnose and treat mental health and substance use disorders.

How might these cuts impact the department's efforts to address some of that?

>> So behavioral health quite simply is public health and vice versa.

so it's quite ironic that we're sitting here talking about cuts to public health funding when that report very clearly articulated that we needed tens of thousands more behavioral health workers to bridge the gap that we're currently experiencing.

I mean, COVID really brought the behavioral health issues in our communities to light in a way that certainly we weren't aware of before.

>> Dr for the money was allocated for the next couple of years.

What is at risk without these funds and what recourse does the state have without them?

>> It is something that we knew sort of have the expectation of an the only apartment public health that we would have some more time to be able to spend this money thoughtfully and effectively.

Now we are in a different sort of unique challenge of how do we continue to prepare?

We have been very fortunate here in the state of Illinois through Governor Pritzker's leadership where state funding has been invested in R public health work.

But there's only so much that one state can do as we face these devastating federal challenges.

The Illinois Department of Public Health, our funding our last fiscal year.

25 budget at 65% of our funding coming from the federal government.

This is not unique to Illinois.

Many states have even more funding that comes from the federal government.

With these Very difficult for our state to work on it.

What I can say is that we hear the owner of Department of Public Health with our partners.

We use every single resource that we have available available to our mission of protecting the health of our residents today and preventing future challenges tomorrow.

>> One of the things Dr for that.

We've heard the White when making some of these cuts at the putt to the pandemic is over.

It's time for people to move on.

What do you say to that and how ready would you say the state is for the next public health emergency?

>> The COVID-19 pandemic.

Yes is over.

I think we're all very happy about that.

But I'd say COVID is still around.

We know that it's circulating in our communities and we know that the challenge was not just with COVID-19.

It was also soared in understanding.

How can our public health community be better prepared for future emergencies?

And that was something that we were continuing to spend this money very in partnership with the federal government using it effectively in ways that we could bolster our public health work.

Our labs are vaccination efforts.

Technology to help protect us from future emergencies.

We have very much in the Illinois Department of Public Health with our partners thinking about different strategies, including a COVID-19 after action plan that was released in May 2020 for the really talked about improving preparedness, modernizing our systems, improving our communications.

We continue to put all of our resources and efforts around that important effort of protecting the state in a residence for future emergencies.

But federal cuts like this.

We'll have debilitating of facts in order to make sure that we're using all of our optimal resources for that preparedness, Dr. Joshi opioid overdose deaths in Cook County.

You all been able to finally see some of a bit of a decrease.

They're continuing to decline from their peak in 2022.

>> Down to 1026 deaths last year.

What does the Department of Tribute this declined to?

>> Brandis.

There are a number of factors that are at play here.

I certainly think that the work that my colleagues at the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Chicago Department of Public Health and ourselves have done in terms of distributing naloxone.

He's certainly made a dent in what I can only characterize as a scourge.

Now, there's also a sense that we've gotten in talking with our partners that there could potentially also be changes happening in the drug supply.

So potentially less potent fentanyl, for example, being introduced in the drug during supply resulting in this downturn.

>> So it's less a matter of addressing folks who are are suffering addiction.

And that could be a number of factors that sounds like that are at play, including getting support to those folks who have addiction.

Absolutely.

That's right.

And in talking to our partners were also hearing just thought that it seems that more and more people are seeking treatment for addiction, which again, is why we really need to be thoughtful about strengthening our public health system, strengthening our behavioral health systems that's where we'll have to leave Thanks to the work that for the work that both of you doing for joining us Dr, Kiran, Joshi Arson Airport.

Thanks to both.

Up next, how looming cuts could affect the mail system?

>> The U.S.

Postal Service has been facing challenges for years following the rise of the Internet and subsequent decline in physical mail.

The situation has really gotten recently gotten even more complicated.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who is responsible for overseeing daily operations for the U.S. P S announced his resignation last week.

It comes as the Postal Service says it's working with Elon Musk's Department of government efficiency to cut costs, including slashing 10,000 jobs.

Joining us now with more on what it could mean for the future of the Postal Service and the potential impact on mail delivery.

Our Melissa Rake straw executive vice president of the National Association of Letter Carriers 25 and Michael Care National Business agent for the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 11.

Thanks you both for joining us.

We appreciate it.

Melissa.

Let's start with you, please.

There are some critics of the USPS.

They want the service to be privatized or merged with the U.S. Department of Commerce.

>> How do you think those changes would affect service?

>> Well, it would.

We can look at the model from the Royal Mail in England.

They privatized in 2013.

It increased costs for Baylor's and consumers.

It slowed down services and increased pension obligations and the mismanagement of pension funds.

So we can expect the same thing here.

What do you think the same thing would play out here?

Because what they wanted to is private eyes the profitable aspects like parcel delivery and then leave the unprofitable aspects like letter delivery on the socialize government services and over.

51 million homes in the U.S. that are not service spent any private carriers that the Postal Service would have service.

And the reason that private companies don't go there because it doesn't make a profit.

Michael Carrick, Prime privatization were to happen.

What would that mean for for local customers, especially those who are in lower income or are high crime areas.

>> Yeah, I mean, the the 2 main things we're looking be higher costs less service.

So a private communal pool service has universal service mandate, meaning that we're going to go everywhere every day, no matter what it is, we deliver what we have.

We take whatever the you know, the customer wants to put into the mail stream and that serve that universal Service has served America you know, well, over 200 years and if they start dismantling the network and selling off parts of the business and a private company, you have to, you know, come in.

Of course, they're going to go where it's more profitable.

They're going to go where it's safe go, you know, to do so by, for example, to Sunday was a Chicago.

Amazon doesn't want to deliver the packages.

They take it to the postal DOT because why we know it's universal service mandate.

So if you want to make sure get that service is going to be, you know, uniform that everyone is going to receive the service and you want to make sure that those costs are going to be equitable and you're not going to be gouged by a private company.

You have to have a public postal service.

At the same time, there have been, you know, complaints for years about the quality of service of USPS, Michael, in ideal world.

What what do you think USPS needs in order to to stay afloat?

>> Yeah, I mean, there's there's some financial things.

So first of all, the Postal Service doesn't receive any taxpayer money whatsoever.

The whole network in the system and our salaries as letter carriers, every everything is funded by postage.

You know, the whole thing.

So it's not like the postal service is a burden to anyone right now is just a service to the American people.

You have a live person who's out in every community, at least 6 days a week and that lies person.

You're not paying for your tax money is not paying for that.

But while we're out there making our deliveries were also looking out for the people in the community, we run the largest food drive in America every year were big contributors to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

And we're out there, you know, if if you're you know, you want to check on grandmother, you know, whatever, making sure the kids get to and from school, you know, that kind of thing.

So the value of the Postal Service Network is is high.

I think.

>> That said, Melissa, the service lost 6.5 billion dollars in Lost 9.5 billion in 2024, is it possible to to right the ship?

>> It absolutely is possible.

You also have to someone running the Postal Service that's interested in investing in it and having it thrive.

This last quarter, the Postal Service did make a profit, but I think people should also keep in mind that this is a public service not designed to make profits and we can actually offer more services to a lot of communities that may be underserved.

There's been talks in the past about postal banking services, high-speed Internet.

Solar panels on all of our buildings.

That could help feed into the electric supply and communities charging stations for electronic vehicles in areas that don't have that.

There's plenty of expansion of services that we could provide.

And when you look over the last couple years with postmaster DeJoy.

He was trying to simply push parcel delivery.

Any slowed first kept class mail increase prices which caused us to lose some business.

So those kind of things it could be more home every consumer and not just focusing on the parcel delivery to towns like that.

You think the agency could afford to think more creatively to support itself?

Absolutely.

In the past we have seen the post office for Banking services for underserved communities.

There are underbanked communities all across this country, whether it be in the city of Chicago or in more rural areas.

Michael, we just mentioned Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, but he's announced that he is stepping down due He's one And do you think leadership has done enough to bolster the agency?

And are you concerned that, you know, in absence of this leadership?

>> That the agency might suffer?

Yeah, we're pretty concerned about who will be taking over the helm of the United States Postal Service.

I think that there are some things that are outside of the agency's control.

There's like there's some financial things, accounting, things dealing with it.

pension plans, W C p pain minutes are calculated that if you look at some of the things that postmaster DeJoy was putting out prior to him leaving the agency was true.

You know, those are things that through changes.

A lot things like that would help stabilize the finances of the postal service.

But at the end of the day, the Postal Service has to reinvent itself as the delivery mechanism for America in the in the modern era.

And that's not going to happen overnight.

But I think it's well worth it to do vest.

Like right now, they're redoing the whole fleet.

You know, the next generation delivery vehicle to be out there.

So electric fleet.

There's a lot of things that and the Postal Service has to position itself to be able to deliver packages officially and quickly, you know, to the American people because where?

Yeah, we've delivered everything all the time, right?

Whatever comes into the mail stream.

If the product of the future is going to be small packages that we have to be able to live small packages to American people.

Officials and we're almost out of time.

But Melissa, you know the Postal Service, it's older than the country itself is.

you know, tied to our American identity in the stamps.

>> That sometimes people collect being sort and it was once a symbol of career stability for many people to work as a postal worker.

What do you think people are losing?

If we if we lose an institution like the Postal Service in about 20 seconds So the Postal Service is part of the fabric of American communities all across this country.

We look out for our customers.

>> We check on your grandparents.

We check on people when they're on vacation were part of their whole, you know, looking over their homes and sort of thing all across this country.

We saw the expansion of roads and railroads to connect post offices.

It was the original Internet and it's going to continue to offer the services that modern day Internet Sneed.

All right.

We'll have to leave it there.

Thanks to both Melissa Rick, Strong, Michael Care for joining us.

We appreciate it.

Thanks for having us.

>> And that is our show for this Monday night.

You can stream Chicago tonight on our W T Tw YouTube Channel every evening and you can catch up on any programs you may have missed and join us tomorrow night at 5, 30 10.

Toni Preckwinkle announces she's running for a 5th term as Cook County Board president.

She joins us to talk about her decision and challenges facing the county amid a second Trump administration.

>> Now for all of us here in Chicago tonight, I'm Brandis Friedman.

Thank you for watching.

Stay healthy and safe and have a good night.

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