Chicago Teachers Union Vs. Astroturf Billionaires

The Chicago Teachers Union is currently on the front lines of a fight to defend public education. On one side the 30,000 members of the CTU have called for a contract that includes fair compensation, meaningful job security for qualified teachers, smaller class sizes and a better school day with Art, Music, World Language and appropriate staffing levels to help our neediest students.

On the other side, the Chicago Board of Education—which is managed by out of town reformers and Broad Foundation hires with little or no Chicago public school experience—has pushed to add two weeks to the school year and 85 minutes to the school day, eliminate pay increases for seniority, evaluate teachers based on student test scores, and slash many other rights.

Teachers, parents and community supporters in Chicago have fought valiantly—marching, filling auditoriums at hearings and parent meetings, even occupying a school and taking over a school board meeting. Most recently, 98 percent of our members voted to authorize a strike. But now we find ourselves facing new opponents—national education privatizers, backed by some of the nation's wealthiest people. They are running radio ads, increasing press attacks, and mounting a PR campaign to discredit the CTU and the benefits of public education.

• Category

  Education

[scott zagu]

All people in this country are owned like cattle on a farm, we are all becoming a tool, a tool for the wealthy to use for their self profit and they will fight to the end so that they can control the people, not just teachers but so many other jobs and carers have not seen a increase in pay like the wealthy owners have, I know machinest, welders, carpenters, electricians, and laborers along with many other trades union or nonunion that are making wages of the 80s or at least not keeping up

[Larry Mitchell]

Jonah Edelman is an arrogant, wealthy, and an extremely uninformed far Left Liberal. He FAILED because the CTU vote ended up at over 90%! So much for Mr. Edelman's prediction that "there can be no teacher's strike because there's never been a vote higher than 48%". Mr. Edelman, you have fallen on your arrogant face. Am GLAD you're out of Chicago. You've left an untenable stench here that will take tons of Air Wick to extinguish.

[yuothineyesasian]

I'm not anti-union but this system failure in education makes quite apparent the problems that can arise with public employee unions.

[Larry Mitchell]

The mere mention of his name sends feelings of revulsion up and down my spine. He's NOT to be trusted, believed, or even listened to. He's a Union buster, an ego-maniac, and he obviously suffers from some sort of a personality disorder.

He's not projecting strength ====== he's projecting nothing more than disrespect,

arrogance, and fear. He must think he's Don Corleone. Well, he's NOT!

[chgosatrap]

I am a native Chicagoan (born and brought up in Old Town, and I am almost 60). My mom worked at Dr. Scholl's right after it was built. I taught Special Ed back in the 1980's when we had Jackie. I live in the burbs now, but I am planning to return home after i finish grad school, so I can vote. Rahm has to get out.

[Larry Mitchell]

I will vote AGAINST Rahm Emanuel. Mr. Emanuel is a loud-mouth lout who's not above using gutter language, strong-arm tactics, and deception to achieve what he wants. It's HIS way or the highway! Chicago is a Union town and always has been. Mr. Emanuel has shown his true colors and he is despised by the teachers, firemen, and the police. It is my hope that he's going to be a one-term mayor. We all voted for him, he won by a landslide, and now he's the most hated politician in Chicago

[chgosatrap]

VOTE in the next mayoral election.

[chgosatrap]

Militant is another dog whistle word.

[sabrina6870]

The Koch Brothers employees cannot win on issues, so they have to pay people to protest. The good guys, the Unions, don't have to pay anyone to speak for them. And even with all the money they spend trying to undermine this country, they STILL can't win. THAT'S how bad their ideas are.

Poor Corporate Shill, Scott Walker's bill on Collective Bargaining was overturned this week.

Go Workers, Teachers, Fire Fighters & all HONEST people who actually work for a living.

[yakyakyak69]

Who represents the taxpayers when gov't unions negotiate with gov't politicians? NOBODY, that's who! The ONLY freedom these "progressives" National Socialist FASCISTS want is the freedom to steal from the taxpayers & murder helpless babies. "Progressive" Anti-liberty Authoritarian Statist collectivist "liberals" are MONSTERS! Truly useful idiots for the Political Class. Marxist unions & their corrupt membership is WHY AMERICA IS FALLING BEHIND. (keep these social-fascist monsters away fro

[Susan Nunes]

Please, people, if you have never taught, don't post silly ideas about how "short" their school days are and how "overpaid" they are. There is a LOT of work involved in teaching that goes far beyond the school day. If you are so envious of teachers' jobs, nobody is stopping you from training to be a teacher. I guarantee you would be burned out the first year if your "boss" doesn't force you out beforehand.