The Green Party stands with the Chicago Teachers Union in their strike demands, including lowering class size and hiring more support staff such as nurses, librarians, social workers, special education case managers and bilingual teachers. We support their demands for affordable housing for new teachers and more than 16,000 homeless students, and their demands for higher raises and more school funding.

"The Green Party emphasizes its pro-labor platform and urges all ... area residents to stand in solidarity with striking school employees, and workers everywhere to join and support those refusing to cross picket lines in whatever capacity they can," said Tony Ndege, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States.

Green Party of the United States

www.gp.org



For Immediate Release:

Monday, October 22, 2019

Michael O'Neil, GPUS Communications Manager, meo@gp.org, 202-804-2758

Holly Hart, Co-chair, Media Committee, media@gp.org, 202-804-2758

Craig Seeman, Co-chair, Media Committee, media@gp.org, 202-804-2758

“The strike is about reducing class sizes to better address the needs of each student while giving them access to culturally relevant curriculum,” said Tammie Vinson, Chicago special education teacher and 2018 Green Party candidate for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (Cook County). “We believe that the decline of experienced, mainly black educators is the result of a flawed resource allocation system; student based budgeting and a biased evaluation. We're asking that the lowest paid workers are given parity to be able to afford the rising cost of living in Chicago. We want each student to have access to a quality education regardless of zip code,” said Vinson.

"As a special education teacher, I want the unique needs of all students to be central when staffing schools, purchasing resources and deciding which schools are closed and before families are displaced," added Vinson.

"In the richest country in the history of the world, there is simply no excuse for students to be homeless or teachers to be underpaid," said Riley Mahon, 2019 Green Party candidate for the Upper Saint Clair School Board in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. "I fully support the Chicago Teachers Union in their fight for affordable housing, raises, and higher school funding." Mahon is a senior at Upper Saint Clair High School.



Tammie Vinson 2018 Candidate Video

MORE INFORMATION

End CPS strike and go back to work while talks continue, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot asks teachers union. 'Not going to happen,' CTU responds.

Pratt, Gregory and Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas. Chicago Tribune, Oct 22, 2019

Chicago Teachers Strike Enters Fifth Day

Kesling, Ben. The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 21, 2019

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