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90 Percent of Chicago Teachers Authorize Strike

Khayembii Communique

Khayembii Communique

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90 Percent of Chicago Teachers Authorize Strike


By TAMMY WEBBER Associated Press
CHICAGO June 11, 2012 (AP)

Teachers in the nation's third-largest school district voted overwhelmingly to authorize the first strike in 25 years if their union and the city cannot reach a deal on a contract this summer — signaling just how badly the relationship between teachers and Chicago school officials has deteriorated, union officials said Monday.


Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis announced the result of last week's balloting — nearly 90 percent of its 26,502 members voted to authorize a strike —and called it "an indictment of the state of the relationship between the management of CPS and its largest labor force members." State law requires 75 percent approval.


Teachers are upset that Mayor Rahm Emanuel canceled last year's raise and that they're being asked to work longer days without what they consider to be an adequate pay increase. Lewis said other key issues include class size and resources.


A strike wouldn't be called until the beginning of the next school year, but union leaders could do so without another vote. They say holding the vote now instead of later gives the union added leverage at the bargaining table. It also allowed 1,500 retiring teachers to vote.




"Our members ... were loud, serious and clear," Lewis said. "We want a contract that gives Chicago students the school they deserve. So we call on CPSs to take this process seriously and negotiate with us in good faith with an eye on the real prize, our children."

Source

And so it begins.
 
Fire them all and hire new ones.
 
From the link:

"Our members ... were loud, serious and clear," Lewis said. "We want a contract that gives Chicago students the school they deserve. So we call on CPSs to take this process seriously and negotiate with us in good faith with an eye on the real prize, our children."
Click to expand...

My question would be, why in the hell haven't they been giving Chicago students the schools they deserve up to now?
 
Giving students the schooling they deserve isn't about withholding automatic raises and refusing a pay increase for asking the teachers to work slightly longer days. It's about making sure the teachers who are hired WANT to teach, that the methods of teaching are sound, that the coursework is adequate, that the supplies are adequate, and that the school environment fosters development.

As with all districts, a big part of the problem is administrative bloat and heavy-handed, misguided leadership. But the lowest starting salary for a teacher in Chicago was $3980 a month as of 2006. That's $47760 a year....in 2006. From what I can ascertain, the average yearly increase is 4-7%. From the analysis I found for the 2010-2011 school year, the Chicago area has one of the highest (if not THE highest) starting salary of any district in the state. Starting salaries are almost double the state average.

Not so sure I feel like these teachers are being hung out to dry.
 
lizzie said:
From the link:

My question would be, why in the hell haven't they been giving Chicago students the schools they deserve up to now?
Click to expand...

Arne Duncan was too busy thinking of hoops with Barry.

Illinois Ranking 35th in Education nationwide and Mr. Duncan's Chicago school system ranks as having all 10 worst High Schools (out of 604), 3 of the 10 worst Middle schools (out of 725) and 7 of the 10 worst Elementary Schools (out of 2265) in the entire state of Illinois.

Bottom 10 Worst Illinois State Elementary Schools - IL School Rankings
Click to expand...

The above is the result of 6 years of Duncan "progress", LOLOLOL! I think Obama vetted him about as well Tim Gaither, Tom Daschle, Eric Holder and Nancy Killefer.
 
The Man said:
Actually, that is realistic.
Click to expand...

Filling an entire school districts worth of teaching positions within two months(and not caring about finding good teachers which you would have to do) is in no way realistic.
 
Wow, the conservatives really jumped on this thread without any knowledge of the specific situation outside of the pittance that was described in the OP article.

Who ever would have guessed that would happen?
 
Khayembii Communique said:
90 Percent of Chicago Teachers Authorize Strike


By TAMMY WEBBER Associated Press
CHICAGO June 11, 2012 (AP)

Teachers in the nation's third-largest school district voted overwhelmingly to authorize the first strike in 25 years if their union and the city cannot reach a deal on a contract this summer — signaling just how badly the relationship between teachers and Chicago school officials has deteriorated, union officials said Monday.

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis announced the result of last week's balloting — nearly 90 percent of its 26,502 members voted to authorize a strike —and called it "an indictment of the state of the relationship between the management of CPS and its largest labor force members." State law requires 75 percent approval.

Teachers are upset that Mayor Rahm Emanuel canceled last year's raise and that they're being asked to work longer days without what they consider to be an adequate pay increase. Lewis said other key issues include class size and resources.

A strike wouldn't be called until the beginning of the next school year, but union leaders could do so without another vote. They say holding the vote now instead of later gives the union added leverage at the bargaining table. It also allowed 1,500 retiring teachers to vote.

"Our members ... were loud, serious and clear," Lewis said. "We want a contract that gives Chicago students the school they deserve. So we call on CPSs to take this process seriously and negotiate with us in good faith with an eye on the real prize, our children."

Source

And so it begins.
Click to expand...
I'm really happy about this and expected this vote. Interestingly enough, a few weeks ago, the Tribune did a poll on the public and the majority (I think 80%) said that they support the teachers union instead of the city, so this is good momentum.

Bottom line: It's disrespectful to ask people to work longer days and not pay them for it. It's also disrespectful to claim that you don't have enough money to pay them when you're really just mismanaging money and then extending the school day, which will cost more money regardless of whether or not they pay teachers for it.

This is pretty serious and I imagine Rahm Emmanuel is pretty pissed off.
 
Khayembii Communique said:
"Our members ... were loud, serious and clear," Lewis said. "We want a contract that gives Chicago students the school they deserve. So we call on CPSs to take this process seriously and negotiate with us in good faith with an eye on the real prize, our children."
Click to expand...

So... they're going to do what's best for the students by keeping them out of the classroom for extra months? Brilliant.
 
Khayembii Communique said:
Wow, the conservatives really jumped on this thread without any knowledge of the specific situation outside of the pittance that was described in the OP article.

Who ever would have guessed that would happen?
Click to expand...

Who ever said your premise for the thread was correct?
 
I wish they would be honest and say " it's about us, the teachers...not the children".


it's incredibly irresponsible for this union to be demanding a raise in the economic environment of Chicago.



if the mayor were to preemptively approve a mass termination of all teachers before going into negotiations, heads would explode....he'd be seen, rightfully, as undermining the negotiation process... he would not be negotiating in good faith whatsoever.

this is exactly what his counterparts have done... the union has blatantly undermined the negotiation process... they are essentially committing blackmail by preemptively approving a strike.

some unions , depending on industry, are barred from approving a labor strike before a negotiation.. off the top of my head, any industries that fall under the Railway Labor act are barred from preemptively approving labor strikes.
this should be a universal rule as, again, it blatantly undermines the negotiation process.
 
Normally I am supportive of labor unions, but the CTU's desire for an outrageous 24% pay increase followed with a 5% pay raise the following year is a bridge too far. Chicago is already having enough problems closing a close to $600 million budget deficit, not to mention the huge projected deficits the Chicago Public Schools are expected to run; the last thing both need is to agree to a huge pay raise that neither can really afford.

As much as the teachers union claims they want to pay for their raises by raising taxes on the rich and corporations, any tax increases will come through raising property taxes. Property taxes in the Chicagoland area are already higher than the national average, and would have to increase substantially to pay for what the union wants. Chicago's housing market took a greater hit than most other major metro areas in the United States. The property tax increases that would be required to pay for what the CTU wants would surely push what is even now a slow recovery over the proverbial cliff.

In this situation I hope Mayor Emanuel does everything in his power not to give in to the CTU. Whatever it means to the health of the CTU, then so be it. Not to mention how nice it would be to see Karen Lewis knocked down a few notches.
 
Your Star said:
Filling an entire school districts worth of teaching positions within two months(and not caring about finding good teachers which you would have to do) is in no way realistic.
Click to expand...

You are correct. With the high income tax rates Illinois has, and the highest sales tax in the nation in Chicago itself, it would be difficult to lure any prospective teachers to the area.
 
Your Star said:
Filling an entire school districts worth of teaching positions within two months(and not caring about finding good teachers which you would have to do) is in no way realistic.
Click to expand...

Yes, remember all those planes running into each other in the air when PATCO was axed?
 
PerfectStorm said:
Yes, remember all those planes running into each other in the air when PATCO was axed?
Click to expand...

The U.S. had a vast reservoir of controllers that it could reallocate from military to civilian aviation. President Reagan not only had the law on his side, but had the capacity to enforce it. When PATCO engaged in its illegal walkout, President Reagan acted decisively and rightly, in my view. Mayor Emmanuel does not enjoy the luxury the U.S. had at that time. His hand is weaker than Reagan's was. His major source of leverage is Illinois's disastrous finances and Chicago's difficult finances.

My guess is that something along the lines of the most existing police contract (10% raise over 5 years) and perhaps a little more might be feasible with perhaps an extra amount that could kick in if the City's finances improve beyond some agreed parameters. With the economy slowly improving, the City could probably offer a guarantee that the raises would not be rescinded this time around. It should be noted that the police contract in question will be expiring this year, so if the City makes a more generous offer there--and for technical reasons this year the City can legally roll over the existing contract for another year--it would weaken its position vis-a-vis the teachers.

The union is angry about the rescinded raise and possible extension of on-premises work hours. However, there are limits beyond which the union can reach. A 24% hike, even if over a 5 year period, is likely an overreach. It will need to be flexible. If the teachers are offered a deal similar to what key first responders are offered, I don't believe public opinion would support a strike if the union rejects that deal.

Beyond this contract, the City should be working energetically to achieve pension reform. It should also press Springfield to develop a credible plan for balancing its budget, reforming its pension system, and increasing fiscal transparency, as the State's financial situation impacts Chicago.
 
tessaesque said:
Giving students the schooling they deserve isn't about withholding automatic raises and refusing a pay increase for asking the teachers to work slightly longer days. It's about making sure the teachers who are hired WANT to teach, that the methods of teaching are sound, that the coursework is adequate, that the supplies are adequate, and that the school environment fosters development.

As with all districts, a big part of the problem is administrative bloat and heavy-handed, misguided leadership. But the lowest starting salary for a teacher in Chicago was $3980 a month as of 2006. That's $47760 a year....in 2006. From what I can ascertain, the average yearly increase is 4-7%. From the analysis I found for the 2010-2011 school year, the Chicago area has one of the highest (if not THE highest) starting salary of any district in the state. Starting salaries are almost double the state average.

Not so sure I feel like these teachers are being hung out to dry.
Click to expand...

Rigid rules about raises need to be relaxed during recessions. The people paying their salaries are struggling. These idiots need to get their heads out of their butts and take a look around at the world outside of their union halls. Better schools aren't just about the salaries they make. Schools don't turn a profit they can turn around and give to the employees. Such is the fallacy of government unions.
 
Khayembii Communique said:
90 Percent of Chicago Teachers Authorize Strike


By TAMMY WEBBER Associated Press
CHICAGO June 11, 2012 (AP)

Teachers in the nation's third-largest school district voted overwhelmingly to authorize the first strike in 25 years if their union and the city cannot reach a deal on a contract this summer — signaling just how badly the relationship between teachers and Chicago school officials has deteriorated, union officials said Monday.


Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis announced the result of last week's balloting — nearly 90 percent of its 26,502 members voted to authorize a strike —and called it "an indictment of the state of the relationship between the management of CPS and its largest labor force members." State law requires 75 percent approval.


Teachers are upset that Mayor Rahm Emanuel canceled last year's raise and that they're being asked to work longer days without what they consider to be an adequate pay increase. Lewis said other key issues include class size and resources.


A strike wouldn't be called until the beginning of the next school year, but union leaders could do so without another vote. They say holding the vote now instead of later gives the union added leverage at the bargaining table. It also allowed 1,500 retiring teachers to vote.




"Our members ... were loud, serious and clear," Lewis said. "We want a contract that gives Chicago students the school they deserve. So we call on CPSs to take this process seriously and negotiate with us in good faith with an eye on the real prize, our children."

Source

And so it begins.
Click to expand...
So at a time of high unemployment, these people have jobs but are refusing to work. Fine. Fire them. Hire their replacements for less, spend the difference on school supplies.
 
Your Star said:
Filling an entire school districts worth of teaching positions within two months(and not caring about finding good teachers which you would have to do) is in no way realistic.
Click to expand...
They aren't going to be working anyway, so there's no loss. It's only prudent that their replacements be hired asap.
 
Samhain said:
You are correct. With the high income tax rates Illinois has, and the highest sales tax in the nation in Chicago itself, it would be difficult to lure any prospective teachers to the area.
Click to expand...

Sounds reasonable. Except it's not true. Teachers are standing in line for teaching positions all over the Chicago area.
 
Spaceman Spiff said:
Normally I am supportive of labor unions, but the CTU's desire for an outrageous 24% pay increase followed with a 5% pay raise the following year is a bridge too far.
Click to expand...

This is dishonest. The CTU is fighting a pay cut in real terms.

EDIT: There was also attempted intimidation of union members in the lead up to this vote.

EDIT 2: Here's the Chicago Tribune article explaining a poll that supports the CTU:

If teachers are going to teach longer hours, they should be paid more for it, the poll found. Sizable majorities of Chicago residents as a whole (86 percent) and public school parents (92 percent) agreed with that concept.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...school-day-chicago-teachers-union-wgn-tv-poll
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Spaceman_Spiff said:
Normally I am supportive of labor unions, but the CTU's desire for an outrageous 24% pay increase followed with a 5% pay raise the following year is a bridge too far.
Click to expand...
They want a 20% "raise" to match the 20% increase in the length of the school day Emmanuel proposed and 4% to make up for the raise they didn't get last year because of mismanaged money. That's not even close to outrageous. If the city doesn't want to pay people to work a longer day, it shouldn't have a longer day especially when lengthening the day has no demonstrable effect on the quality of education. It's outrageous to think that you can tell people to work longer for free and then mismanage money to get out of it.
 
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