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Sitthixay Ditthavong / AP
Members of the Chicago Teachers Union hold an informational picket outside Willa Cather Elementary School on Monday in an effort to call attention to ongoing contract talks with the city's Board of Education.
The Chicago Teacher's Union voted unanimously Thursday to strike on Sept. 10, with members agreeing to head to the picket lines unless a deal can be reached with the city’s schools -- a move that could affect 400,000 students.
The result of the ballot, cast at a Chinatown union hall, was met by cheers from the more than 700 delegates who voted.
The decision comes a day after CTU president Karen Lewis issued a 10-day strike notice. Sept. 10 is the earliest that teachers can strike, and the date falls a week after many students head back to class.
"We're tired of being bullied, belittled and betrayed," Lewis said at a news conference following the meeting. "We have done everything asked of us, yet we continue to be vilified and treated with disrespect."
Read the full story at NBCChicago.com
Lewis said negotiations will continue until a contract is hammered out that resolves concerns over wages, job security and a new evaluation system.
In a statement, Chicago Public Schools chief executive Jean-Claude Brizard said: “If our priority is our kids, then strike should never be an option.”
"Should CTU leaders decide to strike on September 10, more than 350,000 students will be taken out of their classroom, just as they're making progress with a Full School Day. Varsity sports for 11,000 student athletes will be suspended. More than 400,000 daily breakfasts and meals will no longer be served.
6 July: Students who suffer from drug and alcohol addiction are finding help at special schools where the kids work toward common goals: education, graduation and recovery. NBC's Kate Snow reports.
“College transcripts and recommendations for 20,000 seniors will be put on hold. If our priority is our kids, then strike should never be an option. That's why we need to take advantage of each of the next 11 days and work until we reach a fair resolution for our teachers that will allow our kids to stay in school where they belong."
CPS officials have been making preparations in the event of a strike.
Brizard said the district plans to keep 145 schools open for half-days even if the Chicago Teachers Union calls a strike and teachers walk off the job. The union on Wednesday filed a 10-day strike notice that would allow them to strike as early as Sept. 10, just a week into the school year for a majority of public-school students.
If that happens Brizard said CPS will partner with City Sister Agencies, local faith organizations and other non-profits to keep kids engaged.
"We need to be prepared to provide our students with services they need should CTU leaders decide to strike, and our Children First plan will do that," Brizard said.
As part of the precautionary strategy announced Thursday, CPS would keep the group of schools open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to provide activities to children and keep them engaged in independent reading, arts, sports and computer-based programming.
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Per the plan, the schools would be staffed with Central Office personnel, non-CTU employees and organizations that submit a request for proposals to provide programming. Brizard said the staff-to-student ratio would be capped at 1 to 25.
CPS also said it will provide breakfast and lunch to all students at the locations and will extend between 70 and 80 Chicago Park District summer camps.
Brizard said he's committed to avoid a strike but says CPS will be ready if the teachers strike.
“These plans are simply a precaution," Brizard said, "but we have an obligation and responsibility to our children and their parents to make sure they are not left behind in the event of a strike.”
CPS said it is seeking a waiver from the Illinois High School Association to continue sports if teachers strike.
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Teachers Unions once again taking the innocent children hostage. There are good unions and bad unions in this county, then there are the teachers unions which go beyond horrible. They are the #1 reason why the US is so far behind many other developed nations in education. It's all about the money, the heck with the students!
Watch "Waiting on Superman". Great Documentary that will educate many of you union supporting Obamabots or Rombots that are incapable of thinking for yourselve's.
replace them all permanently they are well paid with super benefits and the only thing they teach our kids is about entitlements
Hoping to see a refreshingly honest placard some day ...
Instead of stuff like "fighting for the schools our students deserve," how about "holding out for higher wages and benefits and fewer hours and responsibilities because I'm entitled to that, regardless the impact on students."
LOL truth in advertising(begging). They honestly think we can't read what their signs are saying. But judging by most of these posts-we do- so they may as well put it on the sign to begin with !
I'm glad they provided attribution with the comment, '"We're tired of being bullied, belittled and betrayed," Lewis said at a news conference following the meeting. "We have done everything asked of us, yet we continue to be vilified and treated with disrespect."'
Had they not done so, I would have assumed that it was a taxpayer who said this.
Just another example of the problem TEACHERS & UNIONS. Get rid of them all. If they were so concerned they would be doing something to improver education & the city budget, instead it's give me, give me, give me. They don't care about anyone except themselves. Wake up people and get rid of them. The Democrats will give them what they want for the teachers votes.
They should be fired immediately, just like Ronald Regan
fired the air traffic controllers which is a much more difficult and stressful job
Illinois - Just downgraded again by the S&P, Raised taxes 67% last year, still can't pay our bills, State hasn't paid the downstate schools the monies owed them from last year, the state is pushing the cost of running the schools onto the local communities.
But here goes Chicago again, trying to suck up every dime before the state goes bankrupt. Most of the time I wish Chicago would secede from the rest of Illinois.
Cruz in Texas, is protecting a Chinese Company from Industial Espianoge and his name is on the Court Documents as such and he says he's not Representing them. This act alone is costing American Jobs.
Christy, that two faced, lard assed, wished he could be a Jenny Craig Graduate. Took all the money fron Obama in one hand and bailed out his town in NJ while taking while taking money from Lobbiest in the other.
Walker and Gonzales, if you give me some time Here I'll dig up dirt on them to. All you got here are Republicans. GO FIGURE.
You could dig up your own made up dirt. Republican governor states are in much better shape than democrat governor states.
6dogs,Lobbiest? Really? There really should be some sort of compentency test, to pass, before you rant. And, as libs always do, you resort to personal attacks, like on Christy, when you don't have a legitimate point you can make.
Oh please, FIRE them all!! Greedy no good UNION monkeys who think they are 'owed' something above and beyond a normal compensation for working 9 months/year.
Public UNIONS are a joke....protecting people who give minimal work for maximum pay.
With Ron Emanuel calling the shots in Chicago and the Democrats dependent on teacher union votes in the forthcoming election, I can guarantee that that there will be a settlement favorable to the teachers's union. Should a strike actually happen and the schools close it would expose the joined at the hip connection between the two.
time to stand up and Remember FDR the great Democrat who said NO to public Unions, he felt they had NO place in the public sector, disband the unions and put the people back in charge of the schools
if we have public unions then they can retire after 30 yrs but do NOT start collecting until the same age as Social Security, they need to take care of themselves til then like those who pay their salary!!
Why would anyone want to live in Chicago. No doubt the most corrupt armpit of the world.
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What do you call a group holding a bunch of kids lives hostage until someone meets their demands?
Only 2 names come to mind, terrorists and unions.
This is a prime example of why unions should be done away with. If Karen Lewis thinks they have been bullied, belittled and vilified what does she think now when most parents will not support them. I hate to tell Lewis but they absolutely do not care for these kids.
This is all about money. teachers who really care do not complain about money. Heck, I would love a job where I had every summer off, nearly two weeks off for Christmas and the fact that it is nearly impossible to get fired.
GDB try being a police officer or State Trooper. These folks are truly underpaid for what they do. In the State Of NC most teachers make more than either. If you're telling me they deserve to be paid more you are a fool. i don't know of any teacher that puts their life on the line for the public each and every day. Look beyond what their salary is, the benefits they will receive after 20 years is worth it in itself. I know a little about these things as my wifes brother, uncle, aunt and others were or are still teaching.
Sorry but many of them are way overpaid as well. Compare their salary to that of military members.
A very close friend of mine works as a teacher in chicago he is actually one of the people in charge of the strike. He works in the worst part of Chicago. He has his MBA and served our country for five years. Please stop judging the teachers as not being effective because not all are like that. They are fighting to keep the salary they have and to update the resources that are given to them. This teacher spent money of his own to buy books and that sort of thing for his students. Again please do not judge, you have no idea how tough it is to work in a gang infused high school and teach.
I judge the fools by their actions.
Your are right. They are not all like that. The problem is only a few make those investments. The rest of the teachers want to be paid for the efforts of the few good ones.
I have four teachers in my family and not one of them is with the teachers union, why...because they are corrupt to the core. The problem is not your one friend who actually took the time to invest in his students. The problem is the amount of BAD teachers in the system that cant be removed because of tenure and the unions idiotic routine that must be done in order to even think about removing them.
stanboy, I doubt very much you would be a teacher. Why do people think teachers should not have a good salary and benefits? A person who is successful started out by having a great/good teacher. Without unions in any walk of life do you think YOU would be getting good pay, weekends, overtime, etc. No, you absolutely would not, especially now that the GOP is trying to do away with minimum wage.
I doubt that most of you commenting on this story, could do the job of a teacher. I know I couldn't.
slight, You are correct that I would'nt be a teacher. I don'y have the patience. My mother taught for 42 years, my daughter teaches middle school computer science. So, it's not that I'm against teachers, per say. I'm against public sector unions, period.
By the way, I just retired last year at 61. I worked for myself so my "good pay" was due to MY efforts. I worked 14 hour days on occasion, no overtime, and paid for my own benefits.
Other than your post being completely off base, good to hear from you.
If you can't perform, you can always teach!
Does it really matter if Chicago kids are in school or not? They aren't learning anyway, so what's the point? I remember in the 70's and 80's every year around this time it was almost a given that the teachers would go on strike. Though my mother wasn't a teacher, she worked in a school for 30+ years. She had nothing but contempt, disgust and annoyance for most of the teachers saying that most of them were already getting paid too much. You folks that are supporting the teachers. Have you ever sat in on any of the classes? I don't know about suburban schools, but the ones in the inner city are down right scary!!! It's not just the students, but it is the teachers who come to school not to do their job and teach the "precious children", but come just to chill and make a fast buck. I think if some of you really knew what went on in these schools you wouldn't be so quick to defend the teachers. Wake up people and realize that there are indeed to different Americas and not because other people have kept folks down or that other old *ss rhetoric, but there are two different Americas because there are two different cultures coexisting. In the very near future, this will be even more evident; whereby, it will no longer be a race thing, but a culture thing of those Americans who work and pay their taxes and raise their children with morals and values and those Americans who leech off the former group and expect everybody else to raise their children. If you don't believe me, look at the demographics of the suburbs. They are no longer lilly white, but consist of all peoples who want a better life for their family.
pandy. Your post is a complete lie, and stop bringing your mother into your lies. My children all got a great education in the 1980s. If you didn't it is because you didn't want to, or your mother did not have time for you to help you along the way. Get over yourself, you are part of the problem.
slightyold, I speak the truth. Sorry....Perhaps the school your kids went to were the exception. FYI: not only did my mother have time for me, but so did my father. Also, I went to private schools from grade school to graduate school!!!!! Also, how exactly am I part of the problem by simply sharing my experience? Lastly, how does one "get over oneself?"
chicago and unions? say it is not so. and we wonder about where barak learns his crap
say no to the unions and barak. time to do something good for the country
We need to stop measuring the quality of education by how much teachers make in pay and benefits.
Rumor has it that the Democrats will have to decertify the Teachers Union because it destroys the welfare of the public. That would be good news for Chicago since it currently has a HS grad rate below 60%. The teachers are incompetent!
I like how they always toss the "if kids are our priority" line out there like if your being shot at or abused by the kids you should just stick it out for the sake of the children. Lets not forget many of these "precious" children are the same ones being shot and doing the shooting on the south side. I don't blame these teachers one bit.
Oh and we CAN'T do our job because it's you and your kid against the world. Your kid is never wrong, your kid is perfect and so on. Then there's the constant threat of being sued because your kid fell on the playground. Let's not forget you're poor and can't support yourself let alone a kid or twelve so there are no books at home, no computer but by God you've got a PS3 or Xbox for them. Most kids in my school have seen ALL the Saw movies and it's an elementary! So before you blame us for everything wrong with schools take a look at society.
The biggest problem for the teachers union is their tenure rule. The amount of BS you have to do to get a tenured teacher removed for poor performance is insane. I am not saying that the students and the parents lack of any kind of motivation and empathy is not to blame, but it has to start with the teachers. And those that don't measure up need to go.
The teachers union is THE most powerful lobbying force in our country. And the most corrupt. For anyone out there that hasn't seen the documentary "Waiting for Superman" i suggest you go see it ASAP. The problem is the teachers union has lost its way. It has gone from being to concerned for the students, to being concerned to keep all teachers, even BAD ones hired and paid so they can pay their dues. Their are really horrible teachers out there that each school district shuffles around from school to school, you need nearly a whole school year to review and terminate a tenured teacher even if they get multiple bad reports from other teachers students and parents. This makes no sense!!! Do you know that in D.C. where i work, they offered to raise the average salary of their teachers to between 75 to 110k a year if they would get rid of their tenure?? Thus making it easier to evaluate and assess each teacher. The union was soooooo afraid of this proposal it wouldn't even allow its own members to vote and barred it. These union people are forgetting the ONLY people they are hurting by striking is the students that they say their trying to protect.
What a sterling record for the new mayor, record number of murders and teacher strikes. From a bama aide.
Keep bankrupting the city of Chicago, Rahm needs you! Another worker's paradise on the downfall. Solve the problems? Get rid of welfare, stop giving food stamps to the same people that murder your citizens. What a screwed up place. Could the democrats do any worse? You bet, if you let Obummer have four more years!