Chicago teachers strike for first time in 25 years; contingency sites ready, charters remain open

Chicago Sun-Times ^ | September 10, 2012 | ROSALIND ROSSI and LAUREN FITZPATRICK w Fran Spielman, LeeAnn Shelton, Francine Knowles, Jon Seidel

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Chicago teachers began walking the picket line for the first time in 25 years Monday morning, leaving parents to scramble for alternatives for their children.

.....Steve Parsons, the lead picket who teaches AP psychology at the high school said Monday: “It’s all up to Mayor Emanuel. We all want to go back to the classrooms. The mayor is not valuing our opinions as educators.”

.....Vitale said the contract amounted to a 16 percent raise over four years for the average teacher when factoring other increases. And the raises could not be rescinded for lack of funds — which is what happened this past school year, angering teachers and helping to set the stage for Monday’s strike.

“This is not a small commitment we’re making at a time when your fiscal situation is really challenged,” Vitale said. A $1 billion deficit awaits the system at the end of this school year, officials have estimated. And the district drained its reserve funds to plug this year’s budget......

.....The union also has pushed for improved working conditions, such as smaller class sizes, more libraries, air-conditioned schools, and more social workers and counselors to address the increasing needs of students surrounded by violence — all big-ticket items. CPS officials contend they are seeking a “fair” contract, with raises for teachers, but are limited by funding and the threat of a $1 billion deficit at the end of this school year.

In front of Chicago Teachers Union strike headquarters Sunday afternoon at the corner of Marshfield and Van Buren, a steady stream of teachers picked up picket signs and T-shirts.....

[Sacajaweau]

Avg salary...$71,000 per year ($50 per hour) plus benefits...poor slobs...

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

I popped over to a Chicago cop’s blog to see what they were saying about this fiasco (because cops were to flood the streets because of the wild kids). Comments are pretty interesting. (Not my blog, btw.)

http://secondcitycop.blogspot.com/

(Direct link to comments section): http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=13350456&postID=9020847388228438015

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

Fire them all and salt the earth.

Government schools are a plague —the worst invention of modernity.

[moovova]

More targets on the streets for the gangstas.

Expect the Chicago nightly death toll to rise...

[tom paine 2]

Fire all of them, void the contracts and hire non-union replacements (I wish)

[PGR88]

It is the Left and Democrats’ “War on Children”

Abort them in the womb, fail to educate them when they are young, and destroy their future with Gov’t debt

WAR ON CHILDREN
WAR ON CHILDREN
WAR ON CHILDREN
WAR ON CHILDREN

[Proud2BeRight]

Just keep telling yourselves that this isn’t just another greedy leftist union. This is for the children.

[Average Al]

Geez, with no free schools will the illegals go home?

“Chicago, The City That Works” Bwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!

[Brownie63]

Rahm Emmanuel vs. an AFL/CIO Teachers’ Union. Enemy vs. Enemy. I love it!

[txrefugee]

Public schools are the world’’s most expensive baby-sitting service. They also serve as juvenile detention centers.

Years ago, when the Dallas Cowboys had won their first Super Bowl, there was a big victory parade in downtown Dallas. A melee soon ensued, and one upset lady sputtered to the TV news reporter, “Why aren’t all these juvenile delinquents in school where they belong?”

[Sopater]

It is the Left and Democrats’ “War on Children”

You're damn right.

[PapaBear3625]

Fire all of them, void the contracts and hire non-union replacements (I wish)

Do what Wisconsin did: pass right-to-work for public employees, and forbid public employers from taking union dues out of paychecks. A large percentage of WI school teachers quit their unions.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

-— It’s all up to Mayor Emanuel. We all want to go back to the classrooms. The mayor is not valuing our opinions as educators.——

Have to agree with Twinkletoes on this one.

[GeronL]

Whatever happened to independent school districts? Does the Mayor of Chicago also supposed to run the schools? Do they not have a school board?

If they strike, fire them.

Oh wait, closed PUBLIC schools.... cool.

Shelters?

[randog]

Public schools are the world’’s most expensive baby-sitting service. They also serve as juvenile detention centers.

...as well as state-sponsored dating services (aka, "high school").

[Cincinatus' Wife]

It's for the children, don't you know.

.....And the raises could not be rescinded for lack of funds —.....

Their raises, benefits and retirement are sacrosanct.

Let the students eat their dust.

**************************************

Live blogging the Chicago Teachers Strike: SOLIDARITY

[RoseofTexas]

Careful, don’t love it too much cause the Black messiah will ride in a white horse to Chicago and spread some fairy dust and all will be well and he will be EXALTED as the second coming of christ the great deliverer by the mediaWHOREs and the stupid idiot Americans! Never doubt the stupidity of our country folk.

[3Fingas]

I guess educating children is a distant afterthought for Chicago’s Teachers union.

[B.O. Plenty]

You got that right..

...it would be astounding at the number of the present teachers who would sign up.

It would cleanse the gene pool too. The bad teachers would go away since their protection racket was dismantled.

If Deadfish would just fire all the union teachers, the disruption would last for one or two days, whereas the "strike" scenario will last for weeks, and cause untold misery and hostility.