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Subscribe to RSSTODAY's Natalie Morales reports on the latest in the teachers' strike in Chicago, where the union and school district say they're making progress as talks resume on the fourth day of the walk-out.
The week-long teachers’ strike in Chicago has drawn national attention because it affects 350,000 children and pits two Democratic forces -- a new generation of political leaders and teacher unions -- against each other.
But it also represents a broader struggle over education reform and union power, and the results could reverberate elsewhere.
If the Chicago Teachers Union wins enough concessions, then it’s a victory for the labor movement and a potential guide for similar battles underway in other parts of the country.
If Mayor Rahm Emanuel emerges with enough of his demands intact, then it’s another setback for labor and validates the push to impose stricter measures of teacher accountability.
More strike coverage from NBCChicago.com
“This is being looked at very carefully by school districts across the country,” said Kathleen Hirsman, who teaches education and labor law at the Loyola University School of Law. “There’s the issue of the diminishing strength of teachers unions and who is going to come out the winner. And how the Chicago Public Schools resolves this will be very instructive to other school districts now looking at implementation of state laws requiring teacher evaluation based on student performance.”
All over America, states and cities are trying to figure out how to respond to federal initiatives aimed at improving public schools. The initiatives employ a series of carrots and sticks: There’s money for districts that implement the Obama administration’s ideas on teacher evaluations and testing, and there’s the threat of closure or other sanctions for underperforming schools.
Scott Olson / Getty Images file
Mayor Rahm Emanuel could help decide the future of education reform across the U.S.
That challenge has resulted in elected officials trying to impose new standards for teachers, who resist having to give up control over their work.
“It comes down to who’s going to decide how kids are educated,” said James Wolfinger, an associate professor of history and education at DePaul University. “Who is the expert? Who should have the greatest voice?”
Chicago is just the latest of several big cities -- including New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Cleveland -- where that tension has come to a head.
Chicago strike talks on the brink of a deal
How do you measure teacher performance?
Illinois lawmakers have set a schedule to implement new teacher evaluation methods, and Chicago must start making those changes this year. Illinois also happens to be a state that allows teachers to strike.
That makes the five-day-old walkout, which has captivated the country and could impact the presidential election, an ideal opportunity for labor to show that it’s no pushover.
“This is a very important strike for the teachers union,” said Richard Kearney, a political scientist at North Carolina State University. “If they can come out of this thinking they’ve made up some ground, that should give some encouragement to teacher’s unions elsewhere who are facing similar situations.”
Then again, Emanuel could end up on top.
Or: each side will concede, ending the strike in a draw.
What then?
“Then the fight just goes on elsewhere,” Kearney said. “And none of this meant a great deal.”
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If hussein obama gets re-elected look at this mess he will inherit. Lots worse than last time
Teachers unions in all states have becoming too powerful and corresponding the dimocrap party to beholding to the teachers unions.In Mexifornia,the CTA get what wants and under no circumstances will it allow any legislation it feels to be threatening,to pass.Legislation, which is somewhat removed from the daily functions of a teacher union and its' members ,is often preceived by the union leaders to be anti teacher union and defeated.This is true of all powerful unions in Mexifornia.The prison guards union,a very powerful labor figure spent tens of millions of dollars to get three strike law passed.Semm like a favorable piece of legisation that afforded every citizen something until all the facts were known.Along with the 3 strike law were new contract clauses that limited the number of prisoners to guard ratio.The union flurished and former criminal with previous records were determined to have 3 strikes and sent away for 20 years to life.Along some an extended and deep recession ,the state governemnt collapses .Partly becuase of the onerous and outstanding monies due to present and future retiree,the state is 30 billion dollars in the red.The ratio of prisoners to guards was climbing because there was no money to hire prison guards with inflated salaries and benefits.The Union demanded and got the release of thousands of prisoners onto the streets.One might say,the citizens of Mexifornia were executed and then billed the cost of the bullet!The unions everywhere are completely out of control'1 'there should not be public employee unions.
This is all smoke and mirrors. The mayor really isn't fighting the unions. They are all still whispering in each other's ears. This is much like professional wrestling. All action, but nobody really gets hurt.
Who cares what Rahm Emanuel does in Chicago. With any luck they will not keep him in office. He's just like Daley, they both think they are the King of Illinois. The problem is that the Daley machine put him as mayor and as long as they use the crooked votes they have before he will stay there. They need to check voter registration against the death records in Chicago again. Half of the voters there have been dead for years.