It's fo' da chi'rens.
Posted on 09/10/2012 6:49:53 AM PDT by 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 And the raises could not be rescinded for lack of funds — which is what happened this past school year, angering teachers and helping to set the stage for Monday’s strike.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.....
(Excerpt) Read more at suntimes.com ...
Democrats Unveil the Weapon of the Future "What do the political battles in Wisconsin and the Spanish Civil War have in common? A disturbing characteristic.
The Spanish Civil War is one of those events that are on the way to becoming forgotten history. The term "civil war" is a bit misleading, since the conflict internationalized itself in short order, with Hitler and Mussolini lining up with the rebels, or "Nationalists", and Stalin backing the "Republicans" (actually a motley gaggle of various left-wing elements). The dictatorships utilized Spain as a proving ground for new tactics and weapons, including the Me-109, fighter-bomber, the Ju-87 Stuka dive bomber, along with Rotte fighter tactics and area bombing raids, such as that carried out against Guernica. The war ended in 1939 with the defeat of the Republicans, even as World War II was looming. The Germans learned quite a lot in Spain that they applied to the Blitzkrieg campaigns against Poland and France. (Uncle Joe might have picked up a few things if he hadn't decided to have most of the officers sent to Spain shot on their return.)
Something similar, though on a much lower key (no massacres or bombing raids yet) has been occurring in Wisconsin over the past few months: a nearly open civil war instigated by the left in order to test an array of new tactics.".......
I see those youngsters doing the betting of their teacher parents...DON’T BE FOOLED! The teacher’s union is powerful and they will parade and use their own flesh and blood kids to press on with their agenda!!
“Red on red”. How funny.
Maybe governor Walker will send Rahm Emanuel a nice note, offering him accommodations in Wisconsin if he wishes to flee Illinois. Along with a gift card to Chick-fil-A.
Personally, I’m hoping that Emanuel goes nasty on the union and gives them a major beat down. The best way to do this is to offer up a bunch of public schools for sale to charter school companies.
Free enterprise is known for its quick response time, and I imagine they would be all over that offer like a duck on a June bug. This would throw the union into an utter panic.
Not in a million years.
Gotta disagree. Public schools helped make America the great melting pot. Get rid of public schools and you'll eventually end up with self-segregated charter schools. And that's very dangerous.
The problem with today's public schools is they've bought into all that PC garbage. Unfortunately, that won't be easy to reverse.
Fire them all
Here we agree. If those teachers don't want to work for $71,000 a year, find others who will.
I'm inclined to believe this is all one big fat Kabuki Dance.
Rahm should pull a “Ronald Reagan” and FIRE all the striking teachers, offer to hire some thousand of unemployed recent college graduates, provide relocation assistance (as part of the $400 M the school turned down) and offer the “New Teachers” 6 months of a housing stipend until they can get settled.
THEN see how many of these former teachers can get a job. I mean they only turned down a 16% raise.
You cannot tell me that there are not people willing to work for the previous salary!
UPDATE: A suspicious reader emails: “It MAY be ALL coincidental, but within the last couple of weeks, my cousin told me about a truly diabolical plan for election ‘optics.’ He is a Longshoreman in Texas. His union was considering going on strike for the sole purpose of allowing BHO to intervene and settle the labor dispute and look like either a uniter or maybe even tough on unions. So, when I saw that Rahm’s teachers went on strike in spite of a 16% pay raise offer, my mind went places that logic would never take it, but modern day politics do. Worth watching anyway. Also, to protect my cousin from retribution from union thugs, I suppose it would be best to avoid attribution here.”
This could be sticky. Could this be Obama's October surprise? Does any FReeper out there have anything to add?
Yes and when officals of the Wisconsin’s teacher’s union
left, they came to Maine and we have them now.
One them at meeting said about paper mills, “They stink”.
In Maine no less.
Yep, I suspect one of the "October surprises" is going on here.
I wonder if it will work or backfire?
Obama's going to change the world.....Yes! He can, can, can....Yes! He can, can, can..
Can you site a source? BTW, $70K = $35 per hour, but maybe you are considering they don't work a full year.
I saw it yesterday. It’s awesome! LOL! Thanks!
Nothing more than zer0’s best buddy, Rahm, and his most reliable supporters, the teachers’ union, putting on a theatrical performance so he can magically ride into his supposed hometown and save it from this impasses. He has to do this to counter Walker’s beatdown of the public unions in Wisconsin.
It's fo' da chi'rens.
And somehow it will also be “Bush’s fault...he screwed up the economy nationwide” etc.
I heard spoken word artist Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys fame years ago speaking to college age kids about how schools, etc. were suffering because their “parents are too cheap to pay higher taxes”. Yes. Blame mom and dad for being greedy, too. (sob!) Why can’t the politicians just listen to those well behaved,
well dressed, intelligent people at the Occupy protests? (/sarcasm)
Unlike every other school district in Illinois, the Chicago Board of Education is appointed, not elected. Every member of the Board of Education is a mayoral appointee, so Mayor Rahm Emanuel (and his immediate predecessor, former Mayor Richard M. Daley) are responsible for the composition of the school board.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!! I just shared that on facebook
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