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* Sun-Times…
Nearly every one of the thousands of Chicago teachers who cast ballots last week to determine whether they could go on strike voted to do so.
The Chicago Teachers Union announced Monday that 96.5 percent of those casting ballots voted to back the strike. With nearly 92 percent of members voting, that means about 88 percent of all members support a strike, which could happen no sooner than late March, according to CTU vice president Jesse Sharkey.
“Rahm Emanuel really does not need a teachers strike,” Sharkey said. “And what we’re telling him is if he doesn’t listen to us, that’s what he’ll get.”
*** UPDATE *** Interesting…
So state's ed labor relations board set hearing on CTU's demand for fact finding for Jan. 21. Means strike can't happen til May at earliest.
— Catalyst Chicago Mag (@CatalystChicago) December 14, 2015
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 10:26 am
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If the CTU and three membership want to frame their frustration and displeasure at not having s contract solely on Rahm Emanuel, now is the exact time to do it, sadly and brashly, even “unapologetically” in their rationale.
In the weeks and months bridge the real walk out could occur, the raw politics at play, this makes perfect sense, callous as it is.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 10:30 am
To my way of thinking, a strike is one of the only things that has a chance of making Emanuel look like a sympathetic figure.
Comment by SAP Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 10:38 am
That many CPS teachers can’t do math?
Comment by What? Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 10:38 am
It appears that “Don’t let a good crises good to waste” can be applied in many different ways.
Comment by One to the Dome Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 10:40 am
CTU is completely out of touch with reality. I view a strike as inevitable.
Comment by Chicago Cynic Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 10:41 am
The pension pick-up will not go away quietly.
Comment by nixit71 Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 10:43 am
If they strike the Democratic party will own this one and provide Rauner with the perfect example of what’s wrong with public sector unions.
Jim Edgar, Lee Daniels and the state GOP protected Chicago students with a prohibition on strikes in Chicago in the 1994 school reform law. Democrats dismantled the law. We’ve already seen one strike and now they want a second.
Comment by Downstate Illinois Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 10:44 am
“In the weeks and months ahead, when the real walk out could occur, the raw politics at play, this makes perfect sense, callous as it is.”
Apologies.
To the Post,
This move, now, feels more like it’s about CTU feeling the need to flex its muscles and if they can put added heat on the person, Rahm Emanuel, all the better, and I just feel, even months without a contract, and the issues and negotiations, it’s boiling down to CTU taking it to Rahm, personally, because right now, they can, and it can hurt Rahm, and the piling on adds up.
The ridiculously callous timing is exactly why it’s going to be impactful as the countdown to a walkout can begin(?)
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 10:46 am
After a large property tax increase, a Chicago populace that is generally upset at a lot of things (tax hikes, dysfunction in Springfield, FOP shenanigans, Rahm, etc), and a governor focused on busting unions, the phrase “pick your battles” comes to mind.
Comment by ChicagoVinny Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 10:47 am
If we put Trump supporters and CTU in the same room. They can solve all of America’s problems.
Unfortunately, this shows CTU is living in a bubble. Over the past six months, General Mills on the West Side and Mondelez International are closing their plants on the Southwest side. That’s a combined 1,800 private sector “blue collar/union” jobs. These private sector jobs help supply revenue for Chicago and CPS. However, CPS wants to add hundreds of jobs and increase pay for their current members. The math does not add up and it’s unsustainable. The public will not be as receptive to their cause as 2012.
Comment by Almost the Weekend Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 10:48 am
Why would Rahm cave in now?
Comment by Anonymouth Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 10:56 am
Ask MJM - striking would not be moderation on any issue. Don’t become the problem.
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 11:03 am
CTU is not striking tomorrow, or even next week.
That’s what’s at play here. It’s an authorization to strike weeks from now, while adding to the personal heat Rahm Emanuel is facing while NOT being in picket lines or canceling classes on the students.
It’s not business, it’s personal… at Rahm… with weeks to let this authorization fester and the piling on… on Rahm.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 11:09 am
Yes, it is possible to believe that 96.5% of the teachers who voted can’t do math or don’t know what they’r doing or are flexing their muscles.
However, it’s also just possible that they see a CPS that had an agreement for a contract with a 0 percent raise and then did a quick about face when Forest Claypool came in.
It’s also possible that teachers looking at cuts that would equal $26,000 per teacher looked like too much to swallow in a system that routinely finds money to open new charters, get into sweet heart deals with vendors, and channel funds to organizations represented on the school board despite huge conflicts of interest.
It’s also possible that teachers who are constantly spending out of pocket in huge numbers, don’t want to take a cut that big. I did the math on my wife. She’s been teaching 6 years–in three years under the current contract with a pension pickup counted in and insurance taken out she’d have about $67,500 after taxes. With CPS’s proposed contract she would be making $50,500. A large chunk of that money would be money that would never be made up.
It’s also possible that a system realizing it was having monetary issues might want to consider giving in on non-monetary demands.
Teachers are standing up for themselves and they may well lose, but I am proud of my wife and her colleagues. Nobody wants a strike. My wife lives to be in the classroom with her students and the loss of income would hurt, but she finally said enough is enough.
I am sure if there is a strike will be hated by those people who don’t send their kids to CPS schools just like the last one. However, I do have confidence CTU will have the support of those who understand how broken the system is–the parents and students.
Comment by Carhartt Representative Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 11:09 am
Rahm may not need a CTU strike, but I’ll wager it is exactly what Rauner needs. I suspect Rauner will have a press release within seconds of a CTU strike announcement.
Comment by Angry Republican Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 11:10 am
Almost @10:48: good points. However, FYI , the General Mills closing isn’t on the West Side; it’s in the town of West Chicago, which is in DuPage. It’s a common confusion caused by the name.
Comment by Crispy Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 11:13 am
Crispy-
Sorry from downstate, not too familiar with geography of Chicagoland area. My main point is how public sector unions such as AFSCME and CTU want a bigger piece of the pie and private sector unions are left out in the cold due to rising costs.
Comment by Almost the Weekend Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 11:18 am
This would be more effective if Sharkey kept his mouth shut.
Threatening Rahm–and that quote is clearly a threat–is not likely to lead to positive change.
Of more practical interest, the CTU quantifiable ask (apart from the “no cuts”) is about 2/3 ‘for the kids’ (more teacher for smaller classes, more non-classroom staff, etc) that we all know will be the first thing overboard.
Comment by Chris Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 11:40 am
A CTU strike on the back of a significant property tax increase, won’t play well with the voting public. The teachers will step into the spotlight of blame.
The Charter school crowd will be dancing. and probably hoisting a few glasses of wine with both Rauner and Rahm.
Comment by walker Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 11:42 am
**Why would Rahm cave in now?**
LOL - because despite CTU being crazy lefties, they’re still liked a LOT more than the mayor is.
Comment by AlabamaShake Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 11:44 am
Never waste a crisis.
The Mayor is the weakest he has ever been.. The CTU wants to get the greatest benefits for their membership.
Simple power politics.
Comment by plutocra03 Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 11:51 am
I think the fact that the membership in CTU either ignores or doesn’t realize that CPS’ expenditures continue to increase despite the fact that its enrollment has dropped by a third in ten years and that the median wage for a CPS teacher is higher than the median salary of a Chicago resident (and teachers in NYC and LA), is an endictment of the entire Chicago Public School system. They need to deal with reality and their union leadership is not doing them any favors by making asinine demands and pretending like they’re being practical. There is no better argument in support of vouchers than CPS.
Comment by What? Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 12:10 pm
CPS has zero credibility when they increase money to charter schools, refuse to consider pressing mayor on more TIF funds to help stop the bleeding, and expect teachers to pay significantly more for pensions and healthcare with no raise for at least 3 years along with an elimination of steps. Who would accept that? More importantly what new graduate would chose to teach in CPS (and don’t even get me started on the 32 kids in my daughter’s 6th grade classroom ).
Comment by CPS parent Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 12:25 pm
I find it somewhere between funny and sad that the CTU wants raises but also feels its appropriate to help shut down shopping in one of the highest revenue generating tax districts on Black Friday. The teachers will never forgive Rahm for trying to extend the criminally short school day in this town.
Comment by Count Floyd Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 12:32 pm
“Rahm Emanuel really does not need a teachers strike,” Sharkey said. “And what we’re telling him is if he doesn’t listen to us, that’s what he’ll get.”
Kids don’t need a teacher’s strike.
Working families don’t need a teacher’s strike.
They sound spiteful. Not like advocates for children. Oh, wait, they’re not.
Comment by Square Pegs Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 12:38 pm
I’m with Carhartt Representative, what happened to cause City Hall to walk away from the deal that was hammered out this summer? I’d love to hear City Hall’s side of the story.
Comment by From the 'Dale to HP Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 12:44 pm
Hmmpfh. Thought that might be %’ages related to amount already committed of the States non-budget. Go figure.
Comment by sal-says Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 12:53 pm
Carhartt is right. This whole thing started long before Rahm’s latest troubles. Anyone ever think this started because this is personal, for Rahm, at CTU? They won that last strike and Rahm killed the deal they almost had just to spite them this time. Again, this all started long before the shooting video.
CPS is fighting the strike timeline process so they can drag this out and force CTU to go without a contract for the entire year. CTU wouldn’t be in this bind if they had started the process at the beginning of the school year, but they didn’t because they thought they were close to a deal.
Comment by both sides Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 1:06 pm
The bigger question I have is who will the public support. Correct me if I”m wrong, but the state law that was passed a couple years ago makes sure the last offer is made available to the public, aka more accountability for both sides.
Comment by Ahoy! Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 1:06 pm
Downstate Illinois said:
“the state GOP protected Chicago students with a prohibition on strikes in Chicago in the 1994 school reform law. Democrats dismantled the law.”
Actually, it was a moratorium on a strike that lasted only 18 months.
That same GOP “reform” bill also gave the mayor complete control of the schools and eliminated the specially dedicated pension levy from Chicago property taxes in order to give the Brd of Ed more “flexibility” over finances. How has that worked out?
Comment by Anon414 Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 1:19 pm
One tricky thing in the final offers is that I’m sure CTU would accept 0% raise, but state law doesn’t allow them to really negotiate about anything other than money.
Comment by Cathartt Representative Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 1:24 pm
== is an endictment of the entire Chicago Public School system==
Hoist, petard, etc.
Comment by crazybleedingheart Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 2:51 pm
To the Update;
Great news for CTU.
They can milk and ding and slam Rahm all the way through May, without getting “called” to strike.
This is all about the continual damage to Rahm Emanuel as “1″, and the contract as “1A”.
Today.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 2:57 pm
The problem with that logic OW is that CPS is the one stalling. Their whole plan has been to avoid a strike this year, not to negotiate a contract. I would bet if there is a CTU strike it’ll be in September. CTU took the strike vote hoping to get CPS serious about bargaining. They probably still won’t until August.
Comment by Cathartt Representative Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 4:20 pm
The opportune time is in the spring. A lengthy strike would prolong the graduation for all seniors and dare I say require them to not be admitted to post-secondary education. Those in the magnet schools (i.e., Payton) would be most impacted. That affects more than athletes missing a few games.
Comment by Bogey Golfer Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 4:34 pm
You’re also forgetting something else…Illinois high school basketball “MARCH MADNESS”!
You can complain all you want about the kids being cheated by the CPS staff out of a chance to become literate and academically successful, but cheat Simeon kids out of an opportunity to win it again due to a strike and there’ll be HECK to pay…
Comment by Arizona Bob Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 4:49 pm
- AB -,
Your last comment… bad form.
- Cathartt Representative -
Why do you think they decided now to go thru these votes, and before you answer, who paid for the anti-Rahm robocalls that occurred recently?
CPS wants the year to end, CTU will oblige!
CTU will gladly oblige, using the next 6 months to take to task Rahm, and get under Rahm’s skin during these trying times.
It’s actually genius for CTU because if they go in the streets, I think they lose. Now they “can’t” until May.
It’s perfect for the political, which is the Karen Lewis strategy right now.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Dec 14, 15 @ 5:05 pm
OW, you make some good points and I don’t know all the answers. I do know that the union boggled those robocalls. It was supposed to be a Jesse Sharkey recording on Wednesday and somehow became a Jesse Jackson recording on Thanksgiving.
Comment by Carhartt Representative Tuesday, Dec 15, 15 @ 7:35 am