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Subscribe to RSSUpdated at 3:29 p.m. ET: CHICAGO -- Amid a dispute over pay and longer school days, Chicago teachers have voted to authorize a strike, the union said Monday.
Leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union, which represents 25,000 members, say the vote gives the union the legal authority to call a strike in the fall and provides "added leverage" in negotiations with the city.
"While the Union has made no determination on whether a strike will be needed, leaders say the authorization vote has now given them added leverage at the bargaining table," teachers union spokeswoman Stephanie Gadlin said in a statement.
Even with the authorization, a walkout couldn't happen until at least mid-August under a process laid out in Illinois law, according to The Chicago Tribune. Upwards of 400,000 students would be affected.
The vote not only exceeded the 75 percent required by state law, but some school networks voted 100 percent to authorize a strike, the union said.
"We're pleased," Gadlin told NBCChicago.com, but added: "We know there will be challenges by [Chicago Public Schools].
Read NBCChicago.com's coverage of Chicago teacher's votes
Officials with Chicago Public Schools have called the vote premature. Chicago Public Schools’ CEO Jean-Claude Brizard has questioned why the vote was held before the district has made its final offer and before the recommendation by an independent fact-finder.
“The Chicago Teachers Union leadership pushed their members to authorize a strike before giving them the opportunity to consider the independent fact finder’s compromise report due in July," Brizard said in a statement. "That's a shame. The CTU leadership left the teachers with a choice between a strike and nothing -- that's a false choice. As a former teacher, I am disappointed that union leadership would rush their members to vote for a strike before having the complete information on the table."
The strike authorization vote began Wednesday, and according to union officials, 91.55 percent of union members cast a ballot. The tallied votes give the union legal authority to call a strike in the fall.
Teachers and school officials are in contract negotiations but union leaders say they are far apart when it comes to teacher pay and how teachers will be compensated for longer school days.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel last year rescinded a four percent pay increase and pushed for a longer school day. CPS has since proposed a five-year contract which guarantees teachers a two percent raise in their first year and lengthens the school day by 10 percent.
Union officials are pushing for a two-year contract that would reduce class sizes and give teachers a 24 percent raise in their first year and a five percent raise the second year.
"This is a reflection of the treatment we as teachers have been subjected to this year," David Rose, a teacher at Roberto Clemente Community Academy told NBCChicago.com. "The posturing of the board of education has created such misery and suffering and discontent that we needed to send a message."
Financial reports show the school system has a $700 million budget shortfall.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Rom....it is time to break the Chicago Teachers Union.
IF they cared about the kids, they would OFFER to forgo raises (I am sure they make an OK living with health care, pension plan, not to mention two and half months off a year) FOR smaller classrooms, which would mean a few more teachers working. But no, we want BOTH. More money, less work.
Thats the union for ya.
How's it feel to have your head in the sand and out of touch? I double dare you to substitute teach is a Chicago urban high school for just one day and we'll see if you will still sing the same Republican tune. I guess it comes down to you get what you pay for. If you are satisfied to have the Wally Word greeter as your child's teacher then continue to put forth your economic philosophy.
There would be no need for unions if the teachers were treated fairly. Unions were not formed for higher wages and benefits but over working conditions. Please check your history before you speak.
IF the taxpayers cared one whit about the children, they'd fork over everything they have to the unions. The unions know what's going on, and only the unions can help. Otherwise it's just plain outright hatred of the children........and it's racist too..........and it's Bush's fault.
macfan....why didn't you double DOG dare him?? Besides, since you alluded to that security guards are needed to teach Chicago's children, wouldn't it make more sense to just bring in the National Guard? Since Chicago parents don't give a rat's behind about their own kids, let's just get them used to confinement.
Macfan-you are right the history as to how unions came up is about fair working conditions. however, anyone who says these teachers dont have fair working conditions needs a wake up call. In this district they make an avg of 75K a year, avg of 20-24 children per classroom, there are many schools out there where the pay is much less and the student to teacher ratio much higher. These teachers are salaried and have how much time off each year? and they are asked to work more and heveean forbid-how many other 75K per year positions out there can you have 3 weeks at christmas and the summer off? They are far from tortured-and for everyone going into oooo Chicago, so dangerous-they chose to work in Chicago just as they chose to be teachers-if they dont like it they can move or find a new career-just like everyone else but stop with the BS woe is them crap cause no one is buying it
Stop blaming the teachers, because you made the wrong career choices in your life.
Teaching is not easy and I for one wouldn't want to put up with your brats, and then have to put up with your abuse at parent/teacher conference because your complaining I give your brats to much homework and it interferes with your social life. Or that I don't let them ride because they care more about sports then school.
And no I am not a teacher. But I did have to deal with your brats when they joined the military and try to make adults out of then - because you failed as a parent. You blame the system even though the fault sits with you the parent. You cut the funding for the education tools teachers need, just to build some sports complex so you can relive your glory days.
There are no two school districts alike, same as the cost of living varies from district to district. As to Chicago you comlain that a teacher makes $ 75,000 but you want them to make the same as a plumber? And plumbers aren't required to start their career with a four year degree, and to take collage classes to keep their degrees current.
Please do the rest of world a favor - use birth control.
Huh, 50k to start? I wonder what the cost of living is in Chicago?
Out of that 50k, you have to pay your protection money to the unions, and they distribute it to the correct politicians. After the extortion and taxes, it's much less than 50k. That's why they need more money. As costs go up, the politicians need to make sure that their taste keeps pace.
$50K is pretty normal for professional jobs with difficult working conditions in Chicago. As it is, 50% of new teachers in Chicago quit in 5 years, citing lower pay and bad working conditions.
Can't they just raise taxes? It's for the children. Rahm? Why do Chicagoans hate the children SO MUCH???
Its funny people's priorities. Everyone is watching Apple today for what the latest "i" gadget will be. Then they will run right out and buy the latest status symbol, but ask them to pay a few more dollars in taxes and they go bonkers. Is that iPhone, iPad, etc really more important then your child's education? This country sure has it value system out of whack. "GREED" is in fashion now courtesy of the Republican party.
Macfan, I think you missed the irony.
I had to sell my house in Central New York when the property taxes went to $7,000 a year.
Yes, that is too much, and $3500 of it was school taxes.
The teacher's unions have gone to the well one time too many.
They failed to listen what happened in Wisconsin.
There is a recession on, we all have to tighten our belts. Well, some of us are forced to, already.
Or could it be you do not make enough to live in Central New York City and want to blame that on the teachers? Move some place fitting with what you make.
Wow. We only have the lowest testing scores (17th in reading and 35th in science) yet these losers want more pay. Then they blame it on the students. Yeah, because the students are the teachers, right? (SARCASM.) Patjhetic that these idiots who are trained for this don't even know how to solve basic conflicts. These students, if properly trained, can teach each other, and themselves. We can have peer-review education. Time to get rid of this clunky industrial model that only serves the losers who sleep in and put up animal planet @!$%#. Only in the educational system where you do so poorly, even sexually molesting children do you get these privileges. In fact in California teachers were sent to a "rubber room" where they still received pay, even during these alleged crimes. Our education is pathetic. Don't reward these losers. If I was in charge these losers would not have any time to realize I just fired them.
**FUN FACT** did you know that if you were to fire all the bad teachers in the queens district of New York, and replaced them with teachers with moderate teaching abilities that they would do as well, if not better than say Finland. Yet they want more pay. Time to clean out the scum.
Support for your fun fact please. Please give references for your fun fact other than Faux News. Realize the Republicans have an alterieor motive for killing teacher's unions and firing teachers. They want to privatize education and give the lucrative franchises to their rich buddies and supporters.
Link? Proof of your percents?
If teachers are expected to work 10% more at school, their pay should go up accordingly. As long as we expect teachers to be different than any other school district supplier--such as the gasoline company they buy from, the paper companies, etc.--we will fail to understand them. They consider themselves important and necessary. They think the job is hard and deserves good pay. They do not think the way to improvement is by requiring them to work more without more pay, which sounds like slavery. In capitalism, we believe that we will get better people applying for a job if we make it more rewarding, not less. Holding the line despite inflation will not attract better and more college graduates to teaching. No industry can improve or even survive by punishing its workers with reduced pay and benefits over significant periods of time.
Interesting article about teacher pay at Chicago Schools:
heraldnews. suntimes. com/ news/ 5484550-418/ top-payingdistricts. html
(remove spaces to use link, they don't allow hotlinks here).
While very few teachers are making $100,000 a year, I think even one is too much.
The rest seem to be more than fairly paid - $61,000 a year is pretty decent, considering that the median household income in this country is $50,000. A working couple can easily pull in over a hundred grand a year.
Not bad, for working nine months of the year!
So, what are they striking for again? More money and less hours?
No sympathy here.
By the way, what are the literacy and graduation rates of your schools?
Robert, with all the reports of teacher aided cheating, I would question those "official" literacy numbers.
Is a hard time for public workers to be pushing for more money given how much states and cities have been spending beyond their means.
The sad truth is that there is a need for drastic cuts and a much higher level of parent engagement in the public school systems.
At this points I would suggest that even for public schools we have families pay a fee per student that they wish to enroll at a minimum of $50- per child per month.
If you ask a teacher to be more dedicated and work for less how many of you would be willing to take that "dedication voucher" as payment at your place of business? Ya, I though so, none of you.
When I became a teacher in CPS about ten years ago I would get kudos everywhere I went for going to work in the city schools. The schism between the public and the education establishment has continued to grow since then. Basically the public wants teachers to work harder, with better results, for longer hours, and longer school years and they don't think this should cost any additional funds. This schism between parents and teachers, between the taxpayers and the school system is toxic. Professional educators need to do a better job of communicating what it is that we do. Anti-union forces and anti-education proponents need to realize that a strong free public educational system, which is in everyone's best interest, can only be accomplished with the help of teachers, not in spite of them.
John, like just about everything else, it's the bad ones that make the whole lot look bad. You seem to have a level head on your shoulders and I'm sure you know what I mean. Teachers aiding in cheating. Teachers molesting children and still drawing a paycheck. I'm 47 years old and I recall half my teachers in high school slept most the time. They knew they had their tenure. They no longer cared.
To the good one's, I salute you. To the bad one's that drag the good one's down, you're the major cause of a big problem. Please, go away and let the people who care, teach our children.
24% Raise? Now you know what's wrong with Unions! I'd be happy with a 5% raise or for all that matters any kind of raise!
And you are upset because you will have to work another hour a day? You are only "at the office" about 6 hours a day - most people have to work a 7 1/2 - 8 hour day EVERY DAY and yes, a lot of people then work at home on top of that!
SUCK IT UP!
Jealous because you chose the wrong education and profession? If you think teacher's have it made nothing is stopping you from going back to school and becoming a teacher.
I knew that when the Republicans started going after the unions, that it was going to take us back over 50 yrs. Why do you think Michelle Bachman and others say we need to do away with the minimum wage? Why do you think they don't want equal pay for equal work? If people don't start standing up now, everybody will be working overtime and not getting paid for it. Remember when Bush pushed the white collar law? My employer at the time tried to tell me I was white collar and they tried to make everybody work overtime and not pay us for it. They took us off the clock and made us use time cards without punching in and out. I refused to do it because I felt I was working in a sweat shop. And this was in Texas. I reported them to the labor board and told them I had reported them. I lost my job because I stood up to them. Had more done the same, I would not of lost my job. I have never been union but I can tell you that nobody else will stand up for the middle class except the unions. They lose control, we are all screwed!
Claps, finally someone gets it. Hugs my friend. It will take a few more getting screwed over before people wake up. Remember that poem about the Germans during WWII? They came for my neighbor and I didn't stand up. When they came for me there was no one left to stand up. Really make the point about what is going on now.
Lay off the entire lot and start over. Cut administration by 50% at the same time....
For those who seem to think the problem with our education system is money, you should check out this chart from USC.
http://mat.usc.edu/u-s-education-versus-the-world-infographic/
Downfall of America - unreasonable Unions across all profession.
Unions were a great thing back in the early days of the industrial revolution. But time has changed, unions now a day only promote laziness and unfairness (tenure > performance is NOT a fair thing). It's the only reason why so many American kids thinks that they can make a decent living without a college degree.
Class size doesn't impact as much as what you're being told. Quality of education starts from mindset of the kids and their parents and to a bigger extend, local community/culture. When you have a culture that promotes Sports over Studying (and not a balance of them) you have a generation(s) of kids growing up not valuing education. Look at where China is at, look at where India is at, look at other Asia countries. Look at the cost per student there vs here and look what our dollar is getting us - yeah, rich union reps, early retiring for underperforming teachers, etc. etc. Education is more 'valued' and 'champion' over in those countries because they BELIEVE that is the only way their kids will be able to compete and get the 'better' job in the future. Not be lazy, entitled, and disrespectful of authorities.
I can go on to ramble more but I'll be here all day if I do.
LOL, and when the UNIONS are gone what group are you going to blame things on next instead of taking responsibility? So easy to blame all of your problems on someone else. Hmmm, wonder who got a large group of people to believe that kind of lie? Yup, Hitler got a lot of people to believe it was all the Jew's fault just as the Republican party is getting the people to believe it is all the Union's fault. My how history repeats itself!!!
Just like the left blames the reps or the rich or banks or any other big business or Bush and so on for everything. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. LOL
The state is broke. I live here. Sadly every single school district in Illinois is feeling the pinch. Unfortunately until the economy is better there is no reason for any public official or worker to expect a pay raise. Heck at this point they should be happy they are getting paid at all. A district that has a 700 million deficit can not be expected to give a total of 29% raises over two years. That is ridiculous.
Look up tiff funds. Look up cps fraud under micheal scott. Look up the stolen 4% contracted raise. If they cant pay for the 20% extra work, then don't ask it of anyone.
Pretty simple math. Would you work 10 days for free? Come paint my house. Oh, and add 10% to every day, too.
Blah. Chicago is a mess because of the mayor and his appointed boards. Enrich your friends and screw the city.
With as corrupt as Illinois is (and I do not live in Chicago but another part of Illinois) it doesn't surprise me that the mayor is corrupt. All I am saying is that the state is broke. They need to revamp how and what is paid to what and that includes all teachers. This isn't going to help the state and honestly I wish Chicago would break off from the rest of the state so that we could get decent people into the legislature to fix what is broke but until that happens this is what we are stuck with.
Unions may have been nice but I know many teachers in my area that would prefer to not be in one. They are mandated to be in it. Its not a choice but a requirement if you want to be a teacher and that to me is a load of crap.
What industry would add 20% more work (10 days and 10% longer day) and not have the money to pay their workers? And what industry takes away a contracted 4% raise?
What industry attracts the best workers with practices like this?
(raising hand) OH!!! OH!!! OH!!! I know. Call on me Seg. Call on me. An industry that only works 9-10 months out of the year?
So if I contract you to work for 200 days, and then I add 40 days to that...you would gladly work the extra for free? And I am actually only going to pay for 192 days because I am going to take away 4% because th mayor told me to. How nice of you.
I guess you have no idea of what it is to be a professional.
Fail, Fricsaid.
Including hours teachers spend on work at home and outside the classroom, American primary-school educators spend 1,913 working in a year.
According to data from the comparable year in a Labor Department survey, an average full-time employee works 1,932 hours a year spread out over 48 weeks (excluding two weeks vacation and federal holidays).
So they work the same number of hours as a full time person in a year, just crunched into about 9-1/2 months.
It is time to make Illinois a Right To Work state.
LOL, let me know how that works out. I will never work a non union job.
I imagine there are many who would gladly take your place.
Imagine is the word. 50% of new teachers quit in 5 years in the city, citing working conditions and salary as the reason.
Excellent oppurtunity to help educate the kids. As in Hawaii, the teachers do not give a damn about the kids and inflict more harm and abuse on the kids than teach. Hawaii State Teacher Association is just another misled and crimimial organization that has done great harm to generations of kids and is allied with Hawaii Goverment Employee Association to further harm the children and rob tax payers. Fire them all and start over, no union thug should control our childrens education and future. Clearly they do not have our children's best interests at hand. All public employees should not have the right to Unionize, they are public servants and should only serve if they are doing a satifactory job and they have not in Hawaii for a long, long time. Between the incompetitent politicians and the corrupt unions the kids do not have a chance, add the racist agenda of Hawaii politicicans and you have a sick school system that is hopeless. Destory it and start over without unions and politicitions that rob the children of an education.
"As in Hawaii, the teachers do not give a damn about the kids"
....and you personally know every teacher in Hawaii? Did you go to school in Hawaii? Did you graduate?
“Thus did a handful of rapacious citizens come to control all that was worth controlling in America. Thus was the savage and stupid and entirely inappropriate and unnecessary and humorless American class system created. Honest, industrious, peaceful citizens were classed as bloodsuckers, if they asked to be paid a living wage. And they saw that praise was reserved henceforth for those who devised means of getting paid enormously for committing crimes against which no laws had been passed. Thus the American dream turned belly up, turned green, bobbed to the scummy surface of cupidity unlimited, filled with gas, went bang in the noonday sun.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
The super rich "pay to much already" with the lowest tax burden in history, while teachers, civil servants, and union labor is marginalized and called "Greedy". Simple choices, without the complication: keep funneling money to those that already have it, or pay decent wages to those that are the infrastructure of our society and future. Any other argument than that is distorting truth. Simplicity is truth, are you going to pay those that support your society or keep giving it to those who accumulate only for themselves. Really, is their any other choice?
Another one who understands what is going on.
I'm just about getting what you earn and deserve. I'm sorry, I don't see how raises can be negotiated when performance is not weighed in.
The 24% raise is never going to happen and the union knows it. they are using it as a negotiating tool for the working conditions (specifically the longer days and more days). @Frics and others as well... are there problems with the current way unions are run? yes. Should there be some level of accountability in jobs with union workers? yes. unions have expanded beyond their original purposes and intents, but there is still a need for them, or some equivalent entity. But this is exactly the kind of things unions exist to prevent. While it doesn't elicit the same sympathies, the NBA lockout was another good example of what unions are supposed to exist to prevent. The owners wanted to cut all contracted player salaries by 30% i believe. These are things that none of you would accept in your jobs, so why do you expect it of others. Should the teachers give some concessions for the sake of sustainability of the system, yeah probably. After all they did let them take last year's contracted raise, that is a concession. Should they roll over and let the CPS do whatever they want, absolutely not. And as a side note to those touting Scott Walker's record, the union there agreed to quite a few cuts (I believe most of the financial ones) and Scott Walker said not good enough, i want the unions gone. That wasn't about budgets...
How do you measure performance?
Every year and every class is different. There are good parents and lousy parents. Kid who care and kids who couldn't care less. Kids who behave and kids who throw their books in the floor when you reprimand them.
How do you know if a teacher is "performing" or he had a really bad group that didn't make the necessary effort?
You don't.
As my teacher daughter heard from other teachers, tenure is just a word. In their school, they are graded on their work all the time. And teachers are fired in this school system.
Fire every single one of them and hire all new teachers for the new year!
Let’s keep this simple:
Chicago teachers had a 4% contracted raise stolen from the last year. If they were to get that back and
a raise next year based on cpi, they would be entitled to 7%. Now, the mayor and CPS are telling them that they will be working a 10% longer day and 10 extra days next year.
That’s about 16% more work for next year. Add all of that together, and teachers should
get 23%.
Would you work 16% more for free? Would you let some mayor appointed board member take away money that you were contracted to get last year? If you would, please come paint my house. It will take less than 10
days. After that, I want you to come to my garage every day after work and spend 45 minutes cleaning up my messes. I won’t pay you anything, but if you complain, I will post on the internet how greedy you are.
People, most schools are funded by local property taxes. In the last few years the housing market has taken a HUGE hit. It seems to me that if property VALUES are down then the REVENUE from the taxes are down as well. I am just a dumb country boy but it seems to me that taking a strike vote for a 24% pay hike is not a good idea. The week after Wisconsin, the week after San Jose and San Diego really?
Yeah, and these are educated people? Book smarts and no common sense.
If the Board didn't want to pay 20% extra, why did they add 20% extra hours onto the teacher's day? Either you have the money or you don't.
The Board expected to be able to bully the teachers into it, because the teachers let slide the 4% raise last year they could have sued over, it was contracted years ago. Teachers gave it up, because the board said there was no money.
So then the Board raised to 75%, not a simple majority, the number of teachers that had to vote to strike. The Board assumed the union wouldn't never get that many teachers to vote to strike.
Well, they got 90%.
Not many people are going to quietly accept working 20% more hours with no raise and craptacular working conditions.
...the school system has a $700 million budget shortfall. Union officials are pushing for a two-year contract that would reduce class sizes and give teachers a 24 percent raise in their first year and a five percent raise the second year.
I'll bet these loonies don't understand what just happened in Wisconsin and in two large California cities.
I have always supported unions when needed and when reasonable. The Chicago thing is not reasonable.
So if I contract you to work for 200 days, and then I add 40 days to that...you would gladly work the extra for free? And I am actually only going to pay for 192 days because I am going to take away 4% because th mayor told me to. How nice of you.
If the city cannot pay my kid's teacher to work more hours... don't give them more hours. Pretty simple. Call the mayor. He made this mess.
Seg, you have been posting that for a while now today. If there is a new contract, (and that is what is happening) both sides have the option to adding something to it. If they want to add days to the school year or add more class time per day, that is not asking the teachers to do ANYTHING for free. It is included in the terms of their new contracts. The union can ask for more money. But in light of the current financial deficit, it is highly unlikely they will get it.
You people who continually think that more money results in better education are just nuts. If that were true, as much as we as a country spend per student, the rest of the world would have NEVER caught up to us, never mind leaving us in the dust.
You think LESS money results in better education?
Mike,
the extra hours weren't done by union negotiation, it was legislated by the State politicians. And the teachers never agreed to do it for free.
Bust this union. let them strike. Fill there positions with people who are qualified. No tenure. If you suck at teaching your fired. If it takes more or longer days so be it. pay them well and let them pay for there own healthcare and retirement.