Chicago's teachers: What are the issues?

I know I've kept on eye on this strike talk for at least the past month. WBEZ has a page that let's you know what the issues are between the city and the Chicago Teachers Union. Perhaps in the posts I've published so far perhaps you've seen some discussion on them.

Before the strike news...

[VIDEO] The video above is from this past saturday showing CTU paraprofessionals rallying at Rainbow Push claiming they don't make enough to comfortably live in the city.

Meanwhile as negotiations more forward ahead of the set October 17th deadline according to the Tribune:

The CTU has set an Oct. 17 deadline for CPS and teachers to reach a deal on a new contract. If not, they can go on strike, disrupting the school year for thousands of public school pupils across the city.

Lightfoot said she wants to reach an agreement that would prevent that from happening, but she’s concerned that the city has not received a detailed formal response to its proposal.

“We can’t bargain against ourselves,” Lightfoot said. “We need to have them at the table with a comprehensive counteroffer. … If we do that we can get there.”

The teachers union fired back on Twitter, saying: “We were showing urgency about a fair contract before the mayor was mayor. City Hall and CPS didn’t show urgency until 94% of our membership voted to strike.”

When I visit Springfield, Illinois

410 E Jackson Street Springfield, IL

Another stop when I finally pay a visit to Springfield, the governor's mansion which just last year was finally reopened after a period of rehabilitation.

Here's some recent news about the mansion courtesy of Capitol Fax. More renovations are coming so if you plan to visit soon be advised that the mansion is closed

Mansion to close for more renovations https://t.co/kHpQBgCZ2i

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) October 3, 2019

From the state's Governor's Mansion page you can learn most about visiting our state's equivalent of the White House.

Chicago teacher's strike date October 17th

From WBBM-AM:

Chicago Teachers Union leaders have set a strike date for Oct. 17, unless the CTU and Chicago Public Schools can agree on a new contract.

The news came Wednesday night. CTU President Jesse Sharkey said negotiations will continue with CPS and the Lightfoot administration.

Last week, a majority of union members authorized leaders to call a strike.

From Chicago Tribune:

The Chicago Teachers Union, school support staff and Park District workers will all go on strike together on Oct. 17 if they can’t reach contract deals by then.

The joint announcement late Wednesday by the three labor groups sets up the prospect of about 35,000 public employees in Chicago walking off the job at the same time.

It also means that the 360,000 children who attend Chicago Public Schools will be out of class indefinitely if CTU and the city fail to settle their differences by then.

But Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS top brass announced late Wednesday that all schools will remain open during any walkout by teachers and staff.

Here's hoping Oct. 17, 2019 goes by without a strike! 

The teachers could pick a strike day today

[VIDEO] Now that the Chicago Teacher's Union have chosen a strike date, now they need to choose when to go on strike. According to this report the earliest they can go on strike is next Monday. Of course if the teacher's go on strike, hopefully the feeds below will be updated accordingly.

CPS daring the teacher's union to strike?

This was over at the Capitol Fax yesterday. That aforementioned law may be something that the teacher's union have a problem with, however, the law is specific over what the Chicago Teacher's Union can strike over.

There’s a reason why CPS appears to be “daring” CTU to strike over certain issues https://t.co/K2ce6SQWgx

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) September 30, 2019

Does this open the door to the possibility of a deal between CPS and the union before there is a strike this month?

ABC 7 Chicago: CPS students can begin applying to elementary, high schools for next year Monday

One of my own regrets from my time in the 8th grade is that I never got a real grasp of CPS' process as far as which schools I could attend and what programs they offer. Often I was dependent upon my parents or even my teacher. It seems like a nifty process students have to be able to chose where they can go to school.

Hopefully today's students take advantage and of course do their "due dilligence" on those schools and programs of their choice.

Visit go.cps.edu

For pre-k programs chicagoearlylearning.org.

Chicago Teachers authorize a strike

Sorry to have missed this from CapFax yesterday. The teacher's union authorized a strike in a vote that concluded late Thursday.

Of course in sharing this news, Rich Miller made sure to remind of us a state law that requires the Chicago Teachers Union getting 75% of all teachers to vote for a strike. He also notes that such a law didn't stop CTU in 2012 with 90% of teachers cast ballots. This time around it was 94% who cast ballots. Read about it at Capitol Fax.

State strike law is 0 for 2 https://t.co/sfxscoSaw2

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) September 27, 2019

I must also add as I blogged about during the past week the attention Chicago teachers have received from Democrat presidential candidates.

Sun-Times: Take the deal, CPS teachers. You’ve won

An editorial from the Sun-Times on Wednesday. I wonder what the results of that strike vote from CTU will be?

They should accept the latest contract offer from the Board of Education, a sweet deal that most Chicagoans would just love to get.

They should vote against authorizing a strike. Given our city’s dire financial condition, taxpayers wouldn’t rally around them.

And let’s not forget the 296,752 schoolchildren who’d be sitting at home learning nothing if the teachers walk out.

That’s a locked-in raise every year of 3% to 3.5%, more than what most workers are getting — if they’re getting raises at all.What employee, in any job, would turn down a 16% raise over five years?

Then add in the pay hikes to which teachers would be entitled based on seniority and level of education. With those “step” and “lane” raises, the average teacher would pull in almost $100,000 a year — up from about $79,000 now — by the end of the five-year contract.

But don’t stop there. Consider, as well, how little more teachers will be asked to contribute to their health care. Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s negotiating team is asking CTU members to pay a modest 0.75% more over the entire five years.

Tribune: Bernie Sanders, John Cusack rally with Chicago teachers as strike vote begins

As it was noted the luminaries spoke at a Chicago's Teacher's Union rally I must have misunderstood something:

The 25,000-member CTU embarked Tuesday on a three-day strike vote, which, if the measure passes, will empower the union’s House of Delegates to set a walkout date as early as Oct. 7. SEIU Local 73, the union for the 7,000 support employees, has already authorized a strike, which could occur as soon as Oct. 17.

Meanwhile, here's what happened as strike voting started:

The Chicago Teachers Union brought some celebrity backing to its push for a new contract Tuesday evening, with actor John Cusack rallying with teachers before the evening’s headliner — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders — called for big raises for local public school educators.

“There has never been a better champion for unions than Bernie Sanders,” Cusack said to cheers from a throng of teachers and other local labor group members gathered at headquarters of the CTU on the first day of its vote to authorize a teachers strike.

When the Vermont senator later took the stage, he thanked the teachers union for “becoming the conscience of the United States of America."

“What we are seeing is teachers standing up and fighting for justice," Sanders said. “... Every problem in society — hunger, domestic violence, poverty — it walks into your doors, doesn’t it? You see it every day and at a time when we, in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, have the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any major country on earth.
...
Sanders underscored some of the CTU’s specific demands, calling on the city to “negotiate a contract that substantially reduces class sizes” and to “substantially increase the pay and benefits for the teachers in Chicago and the support staff in Chicago,” as well as address the shortages of nurses and librarians.

Earlier at the rally, CTU President Jesse Sharkey called out Mayor Lori Lightfoot, saying she hasn’t offered staffing levels that would ensure librarians, nurses or social workers in schools on a daily basis.

But again Tuesday, the mayor pointed to a city proposal that offers teachers base pay raises of 16% over five years. She also said new positions being sought by the union are “baked ... into the budget for this year.”

At the rally, Sanders also spoke of working people not being able to afford child care and plugged his proposal for free college tuition. After he said, “Let me tell you something else that we’re going to do,” an audience member called out, “Beat Trump!” At that, Sanders laughed while those in the crowd cheered and rose to their feet.
...
Sanders had already shone a spotlight on the labor strife in Chicago Public Schools, tweeting his support earlier this month for the CTU and another group of workers also poised for a possible walkout, including bus and special education aides, custodians and security officers. Leading up to Sanders’ Chicago appearance, two other presidential contenders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden, made similar statements of support for Chicago educators.