CHICAGO — The representative body of the Chicago Teachers Union voted unanimously to hold a strike authorization vote on Sept. 26. If three-quarters of the union’s members agrees then to authorize a strike, teachers could walk out by Oct. 7. þþThe 700 members of the House of Delegates voting Wednesday represent various groups of teachers — some at a school and some, like clinicians and social workers, citywide. The union represents more than 25,000 teachers and support staff, including paraprofessionals and school social workers. þþ“We cannot get the equity and educational justice that candidate Lightfoot promised unless those promises are enshrined in an enforceable contract by Mayor Lightfoot and CPS,” union President Jesse Sharkey said.þþAs teachers went back to school on Tuesday, without a contract, both Chicago district unions went on the PR offensive and rehearsed walking picket lines.þþOn the first day of school, the Chicago Teachers Union called a 5 a.m. press conference at Benito Juarez Community Academy in Pilsen, a school that lost money and staff under the mayor’s schools budget. þþThe union also announced that it would likely hold a vote near the end of the month on whether or not to strike. In order for teachers to legally walk out, a state law passed during former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s tenure requires that at least 75% of union members must vote in favor of a strike.þþService Employees International Union Local 73, which represents support staff, also practiced its picket lines. Its 8,000 members have been working under an expired contract for more than a year and already have authorized a strike. þþ***þþMeanwhile, thousands of Chicago students started the school year without a classroom teacher. The district still has not filled 700 teaching positions, a 3.3% vacancy rate.þþThe teachers union has called for hundreds of new jobs to support teachers, particularly special education aides and mental health professionals, and has argued for more flexible prep time and increased pay for teachers.þþ***þþOn Tuesday, Chalkbeat Chicago also spoke to a handful of parents outside Salazar Elementary Bilingual Center, one of the mayor’s three education-related press stops on the first day of school. þþOne of the questions Chalkbeat asked was parents’ thoughts on a looming teachers strike. Of the four parents Chalkbeat interviewed, three were supportive of teachers, while one wasn’t aware of the possibility of a strike. þþSalazar parent Sharese Scott said about teachers, “They are the parent away from home, so I believe that they should be paid more because they have to do a lot.”þþAug. 29: Lori Lightfoot celebrated her first 100 days as mayor by ticking off her accomplishments since taking office. When it comes to schools, those include appointing a new school board that has tried to make dealings more transparent and drafting an “equity-focused” budget for schools.þþBut she hasn’t yet resolved one pressing item on her to-do list: a contract with the Chicago Teachers Union. Her latest offer, unveiled in late August, would give teachers a 16% raise across five years — but the union is rejecting it.þþHere’s what you need to know about Lightfoot’s offer and the future of the contract talks: þþThe city sweetened its offer this week — and notes that some teachers would get major raises.þThere are dark clouds on the city’s financial horizon. þStill, options to pay for a new contract are on the table. þA city budget doesn’t rule out improvements for teachers later — but the union is skeptical. þA strike remains possible, but city officials say they’re confident about reaching a settlement.þAug. 27: The day after the Chicago Teachers Union formally rejected a neutral fact-finder’s report that called for wage and health benefits primarily on the city’s terms, schools chief Janice Jackson appeared on WBEZ’s Morning Shift radio program and said she was confident the district could avert a strike. þþThe pay offer from the district is “one of the largest increases in CTU history,” Jackson said. On Aug. 26 Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she would up her offer to the 16% that the fact-finder advised, at a cost of $351 million across five years. þþAnd while she was sympathetic to teachers who had endured pay freezes and furloughs in the past decade, Jackson said it was unfair to expect Lightfoot to compensate for years of disinvestment in one contract. þþ“If we had all the money in the world we’d pay them the money professional athletes get,” Jackson said. “This is a fair contract given the financial constraints we have. We are moving in the right direction.”þþAug. 21: As the union gears up for a possible strike as early as late September, members gathered at a public meeting to build support. þþOn Tuesday, hundreds of teachers collected posters and flyers to bring back to their schools, listened to other community groups in support of the union’s efforts, and heard talking points about the contract to bolster teachers’ confidence as a possible strike draws closer. þþDuring its 2012 strike, the Chicago union garnered national attention for efforts to build public support, and recent meetings and rallies show how it’s using similar tactics this time around. þþ“We have to do the same thing we did in 2012, which is get teachers organized and talk to parents,” said Conor Klaus, a science teacher at Sabin Dual Language Magnet School. “But most people sound like they’re ready to strike.”þþAnother main theme came out of the members meeting — the challenges facing special education teachers in a district criticized for underfunding the needs of those students. Teachers discussed understaffed teams, hours of paperwork, and unsustainable caseloads in special education. þþSharina Ware, special education teacher at Walter H. Dyett High School for the Arts, said if the authorization vote were held today, she would be ready to strike.þþ(by Catherine Henderson)
Source: blockclubchicago.org
