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Chicago Teachers Strike 2012

MMC

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CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago teachers went on strike Monday for the first time in 25 years after their union and district officials failed to reach a contract agreement despite intense weekend negotiations that the union said were productive but still failed to adequately address issues such as job security and teacher evaluations.

The two sides were not far apart on compensation, but were on other issues, including health benefits — teachers want to keep what they have now — and a new teacher evaluation system based partly on students' standardized test scores, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel condemned the union's decision,

More than 26,000 teachers and support staff were expected to hit the picket lines early Monday, while the school district and parents carried out plans for keeping nearly 400,000 students safe and occupied while classes remain empty in the coming days in the nation's third largest school district.

When he took office last year, Emanuel inherited a school district facing a $700 million budget shortfall. Not long after, his administration rescinded 4 percent raises for teachers. He then asked the union to reopen its contract and accept 2 percent pay raises in exchange for lengthening the school day for students by 90 minutes. The union refused.

Emanuel, who promised a longer school day during his campaign, then attempted to go around the union by asking teachers at individual schools to waive the contract and add 90 minutes to the day. He halted the effort after being challenged by the union before the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board.

Chicago teachers to strike after talks fail - Yahoo! News
Associated Press – 4 hrs ago<<<<<More Here, Way More!


Indeed, they really care about the Kids and the City.
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This is why Chicago Public Teachers get no respect from the rest of the Teachers in Illinois. One they make it tougher to deal with the IEA and their Union. All my life I have lived here and truthfully. CPS should not be tied to City Politics. Most of these teachers in the City. Not all of them. But most. Are about nothing but a free Ride.
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Is this fair to the kids? Fair to Parents? Fair to the City?

700 million shortfall.....JUST FOR CPS alone! Tell me they can say they didnt know? Expect the youth violence and gang violence to increase even more now!
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Thoughts?
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agreed..
i saw a breif interview on CNN yesterday and the person they were interviewing couldnt even come up with a specific reason.. she spouted some generalized talking point and provided nothing otherwise.
 
agreed..
i saw a breif interview on CNN yesterday and the person they were interviewing couldnt even come up with a specific reason.. she spouted some generalized talking point and provided nothing otherwise.

They didnt accept a 16% increase and spouted off about HC Benefits and the Evaluation Process where they say 30% of their teachers would be affected and laid off. She also stated something about their Rights. She meaning Lewis.

Good thing the Charter schools are not affected. As they are showing up for work as they are not Union. These teachers have always had it made. Their Union will make it more difficult for any other teachers unions to get shiznit done. Especially the Rest of Illinois Teachers.

They know all the violence willspike up with the Youth. That the gang pressures will be more with their affects upon certain communities.

What gets me is they will find a way to keep the schools sporting programs going so their schools can still pick up that money.
 
I like where the sign in the picture says "On Strike for Better Schools". More like "On Strike for Less Accountability".
 
Know all those people in their 20s with degrees that cant find work? Pick one school and replace all the teachers with new hires. Bet they come back to the table in a hurry.
 
The Chicaco Tribune reported:

After an all-day negotiating session Sunday, school board President David Vitale told reporters the district had changed its proposal 20 times over the course of talks and didn't have much more to offer.

“This is about as much as we can do,” Vitale said. “There is only so much money in the system.”

Teachers union on strike in Chicago - chicagotribune.com

"There's only so much money," seems to be the theme of the day the world over.
 
Emanuel has come straight out and told this Union.....this Strike was a Strike of Choice. He is Right.....I am tired of them spouting off they are doing this for the Kids. This isn't about the Kids. This about their own damn greedy selves. How many lil kids will get shot with this up coming weekend? How many will get beat up, intimidated, and gangstered?
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Did they Forget the Kennedy Creed? Ask Not what your Country can do for you. But What YOU can do For YOUR COUNTRY!!!!! :2mad:

How about your Own Damn Community!!!!!
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I like where the sign in the picture says "On Strike for Better Schools". More like "On Strike for Less Accountability".

It amuses me when teachers on strike try to falsely claim its for the kids when really its all about more money and less accountability for the teachers.
 
Indeed, they really care about the Kids and the City.
rolleyes20.gif
This is why Chicago Public Teachers get no respect from the rest of the Teachers in Illinois. One they make it tougher to deal with the IEA and their Union. All my life I have lived here and truthfully. CPS should not be tied to City Politics. Most of these teachers in the City. Not all of them. But most. Are about nothing but a free Ride.
angry20.gif


Is this fair to the kids? Fair to Parents? Fair to the City?

700 million shortfall.....JUST FOR CPS alone! Tell me they can say they didnt know? Expect the youth violence and gang violence to increase even more now!
cussing.gif
Thoughts?
rant.gif
I'm thrilled about this. Hopefully, the Board of Education will agree to what CTU is demanding. If they do, then fired teachers will be rehired, all students will have art/music/science/phys ed., more students who need it will receive counseling, class sizes will be guaranteed to be smaller and so on. Hopefully, the board will also stop pushing for the unnecessary longer school day. That way, the city can focus on improving the screwed up current school day and the city won't have to spend any more money on salaries and increased resources. It's too bad that the board couldn't just agree to those reasonable terms at the start. If they had, we wouldn't be in this mess.
 
The Chicaco Tribune reported:

"There's only so much money," seems to be the theme of the day the world over.
The best thing about Vitale's quote is that he and other city officials are the ones who chose to increase the school unnecessarily and thereby, spend money that doesn't need to be spent.
 
I'm thrilled about this. Hopefully, the Board of Education will agree to what CTU is demanding. If they do, then fired teachers will be rehired, all students will have art/music/science/phys ed., more students who need it will receive counseling, class sizes will be guaranteed to be smaller and so on. Hopefully, the board will also stop pushing for the unnecessary longer school day. That way, the city can focus on improving the screwed up current school day and the city won't have to spend any more money on salaries and increased resources. It's too bad that the board couldn't just agree to those reasonable terms at the start. If they had, we wouldn't be in this mess.


Why should ALL fired teachers be rehired?
 
I like where the sign in the picture says "On Strike for Better Schools". More like "On Strike for Less Accountability".

Both are false. The signs should simply read "ON STRIKE FOR A BIGGER PAY RAISE."
 
Why should ALL fired teachers be rehired?
I don't know that all of them should be rehired. However, when you have a lot of effective veteran teachers fired, not because they are bad, but because of economic or other reasons, it makes sense to rehire them when they are needed (which they are) instead of washing your hands of them and hiring less experienced unproven teachers and college kids from Teach for America.
 
Both are false. The signs should simply read "ON STRIKE FOR A BIGGER PAY RAISE."
Eh, that's not actually accurate. Money is one of the only things teachers have a legal right to bargain for. They can't legally bargain on behalf of the kids alone. As a result, the "raise" is the focus because that's the way the legal system works. If you pay attention, however, you'll notice that the teachers care more about what CPS policies are doing to the students. But that's not a convenient story for those who have a problem with public unions and view asking to be given 20% more compensation for 20% more work as problematic.
 
Eh, that's not actually accurate. Money is one of the only things teachers have a legal right to bargain for. They can't legally bargain on behalf of the kids alone. As a result, the "raise" is the focus because that's the way the legal system works. If you pay attention, however, you'll notice that the teachers care more about what CPS policies are doing to the students. But that's not a convenient story for those who have a problem with public unions and view asking to be given 20% more compensation for 20% more work as problematic.


Hmmmm so why doesn't the Board of Education and The CTU come up with an Effective means of teaching kids and Implement More Vocational Education. Instead of looking to just throw Money at at teachers or even Administrators. Like with any bureaucracy both tend to game the System for the money and Benefits to line their pockets with.

Yet it is okay with the Union to allow the Sports Programs to go on just so the school can pick up some of that extra money. Both are guilty of playing around with Kids lives all under the vestige that they are doing whats Best for the Kids. Which is another reason to force CPS schools out of City Politics and Government.

Moreover CTU thinks it's Union should be leading the Way in Education.....yet they do not reflect the IEA or anyone else. Plus they CPS schools are not the Norm. They are the Exception to the rule.

Again.....they know just how this affects each and every Neighborhood in the City. So why should the South Side have to suffer over those that got it made on the North-side. Bet if all those shootings and crimes were all up on the North side. They would be crying a different story about Kids.
 
Hmmmm so why doesn't the Board of Education and The CTU come up with an Effective means of teaching kids and Implement More Vocational Education. Instead of looking to just throw Money at at teachers or even Administrators. Like with any bureaucracy both tend to game the System for the money and Benefits to line their pockets with.
When CTU says that it wants art, music, science, computers and phys. ed. guaranteed for all students, they are arguing for an effective means of teaching kids. It's the same with wanting counseling for students who need it and smaller class sizes. Each of those things is about improving education and has nothing to do with "lining their pockets" or "throwing money at teachers." That's a surface analysis of what's happening.

Yet it is okay with the Union to allow the Sports Programs to go on just so the school can pick up some of that extra money. Both are guilty of playing around with Kids lives all under the vestige that they are doing whats Best for the Kids. Which is another reason to force CPS schools out of City Politics and Government.

Moreover CTU thinks it's Union should be leading the Way in Education.....yet they do not reflect the IEA or anyone else. Plus they CPS schools are not the Norm. They are the Exception to the rule.
You do realize that the IEA publicly supported the CTU strike?

The 133,000 members of the Illinois Education Association (IEA) offer their full support to the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) in a fight that is about much more than a contract for the 26,000 CTU members.
CTU is standing up for students and public education everywhere by fighting for an agreement that will be good for students, public schools and the profession of teaching.

IEA supports Chicago’s striking teachers - Illinois Education Association
So 1) You are uninformed because the IEA disagrees with you and thinks CTU reflects it. 2) You appear to be the exception you're talking about.

Again.....they know just how this affects each and every Neighborhood in the City. So why should the South Side have to suffer over those that got it made on the North-side. Bet if all those shootings and crimes were all up on the North side. They would be crying a different story about Kids.
The Board of Education knows that this isn't ideal for kids either, but they walked away from the table knowing it would lead to strike and refused to meet demands that would help the students.
 
This is why Chicago Public Teachers get no respect from the rest of the Teachers in Illinois. One they make it tougher to deal with the IEA and their Union. All my life I have lived here and truthfully. CPS should not be tied to City Politics. Most of these teachers in the City. Not all of them. But most. Are about nothing but a free Ride.
angry20.gif


Is this fair to the kids? Fair to Parents? Fair to the City?

700 million shortfall.....JUST FOR CPS alone! Tell me they can say they didnt know? Expect the youth violence and gang violence to increase even more now!
cussing.gif
Thoughts?
rant.gif

The Chicago Public School System is famous as having the shortest school day of any city in the United States. Just 5-1/2 hours. Emanuel was right to go after a longer day, but probably not very well timed.

The average teacher in CPS earns just over $71.000. (I actually don't believe this number; I think it's much higher; but that's the number that's out there.) Starting salary for a CPS teacher is $50,577. In addition to their "Step & Lane Increases" of approximately 3.5% annually, the CPS offer calls for a 3% wage increase in Year One, and a 2% increase in Years Two thru Four of their four-year contract. The new contract will increase teachers' pay by at least 16% over the course of those 4 years. (I think that's not right, but that's the number Emanuel used. I think the number is higher.)
 
Maggie - you strike me as a basically fair person. Do you think it is proper that if one is asked to perform substantially more labor, than one is appropriately compensated for that increase in work?

For example, if you employ me to cut your lawn once a week and trim the landscape every three weeks and I agree to do this for $150.00 a month and then you state that you also want me to clean out your gutters once a month in addition to my normal tasks, is it not appropriate to ask for more compensation for more work?
 
Maggie - you strike me as a basically fair person. Do you think it is proper that if one is asked to perform substantially more labor, than one is appropriately compensated for that increase in work?

For example, if you employ me to cut your lawn once a week and trim the landscape every three weeks and I agree to do this for $150.00 a month and then you state that you also want me to clean out your gutters once a month in addition to my normal tasks, is it not appropriate to ask for more compensation for more work?

Now you know I'm going to agree with that, Haymarket. I think CPS gave away the store and, in these tough economic times, is trying to buy some of it back.
 
Now you know I'm going to agree with that, Haymarket. I think CPS gave away the store and, in these tough economic times, is trying to buy some of it back.

I do not know about giving away the store since I do not have access to their entire contract history.

If Mayor Emmanuel wants teachers to work a longer day and perform more labor, then it is right and just for the union to ask for an appropriate increase in compensation taking that increased labor into consideration.
 
When CTU says that it wants art, music, science, computers and phys. ed. guaranteed for all students, they are arguing for an effective means of teaching kids. It's the same with wanting counseling for students who need it and smaller class sizes. Each of those things is about improving education and has nothing to do with "lining their pockets" or "throwing money at teachers." That's a surface analysis of what's happening.


You do realize that the IEA publicly supported the CTU strike?


So 1) You are uninformed because the IEA disagrees with you and thinks CTU reflects it. 2) You appear to be the exception you're talking about.


The Board of Education knows that this isn't ideal for kids either, but they walked away from the table knowing it would lead to strike and refused to meet demands that would help the students.

That could be due to a couple of other Illinois Suburbs where they have teachers about to go on strike.....Correct?

Seems most of the members of the IEA dont reflect what Union Servants always have those same sentiments about. Course CPS should wake up to the fact about more and more of those . Charter Schools starting up to replace those that want the free ride. That Communities themselves, the people, the Parents all looking to begin to move in that direction. Because they are tired of the games.

Moreover other Illinois School districts are not connected to City politics and therefore aren't as......a wasteful bureacracy that the CPS is. Most other Illinois teachers have been giving of their time. Most other Illinois teachers were working all damn day and looked for events to spend time with their kids and their parents. They didnt just work 5 and half hrs and hurry that azz out of school. Worrying about what neighborhoods they are in just to rush home.

Course most other Illinois Teachers don't start out making all that money and getting all those benefits. Not to mention how many Institutional days CPS Teachers get to take a day off for. Or at least half of it. Do you think hanging out at a luncheon under the Auspices of Working and getting paid for it. Should be considered as a Norm With Education? Can you explain why it's a common thing for CPS Teachers?

The Board of Education also is tied to City Politics and knows exactly where the city stands economically, finacially, and that the city is in the red and broke!
 
Would be nice if they could just invalidate the contracts, fire them all, and post all 26,000 jobs.
 
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