Chicago Teachers Union President Given Nod To Issue 10-Day Strike Notice

By Chuck Sudo in News on Aug 23, 2012 2:00PM



Tom Tian

Chicago inched closer to its first teachers strike in 25 years Wednesday as the Chicago Teachers Union delegates overwhelmingly gave union President Karen Lewis approval to issue a 10-day strike notice.

The vote during a labor meeting at Lane Tech High School doesn’t mean a strike is imminent. Lewis has said repeatedly in recent weeks the union intends to negotiate in good faith with the Chicago School Board on a new labor deal. “Union leaders will go back to their schools to share the Board’s contract proposals with members and to discuss next steps,” Lewis said in a statement to media. “But we want our members prepared.”

The two sides are set to meet today for another round of negotiations. CTU has said that minimal progress has been made while Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard said that the negotiations have been moving along steady.

Hours before the authorization the School Board passed a $25 million contingency plan to feed, shelter and provide other “non-instructional” services to schoolkids in the event of a strike. School Board president David Vitale said while he doesn’t expect a strike, “ultimately, we have the responsibility to take care of our kids.”

The teachers union will continue to hold "informal pickets" at 240 schools this week. CPS Track E schools are currently in session and the rest of the schools in the system begin classes Sept. 4. If CTU is to strike by then, Lewis must issue the notice by Saturday. The union’s Board of Delegates must also set a strike date at its Aug. 30 meeting. While negotiations continue, Lewis said, “CPS has done a yeoman’s job of taking the joy out of teaching-and-learning---26,000 of us are fighting to restore it.”

CTU also released a 23-minute video exposing Hating Breitbart filmmaker Andrew Marcus of allegedly working with the School Board in an attempt to discredit the union.

Marcus directed his own short film, A Tale of Two Missions starring Fox News’ Juan Williams, which “examines the reform battle being waged in Chicago between advocates for school choice and the CTU.”

Marcus, who writes for the radical right wing blog Founding Bloggers, released a statement attacking the teachers union.



