Chicago Teachers Union Holding Strike Authorization Vote Starting Wednesday

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jun 2, 2012 4:00PM

The Chicago Teachers Union announced Friday they'll begin holding a vote on a strike authorization beginning June 6. This is the latest in a series of steps that could determine whether Chicago Public Schools will see its first teachers strike in a quarter century.

The education reform law passed by the Illinois State Legislature last year made it harder for teachers unions to call strikes. 75 percent of a union's rank and file must vote in favor of a strike in order for one to be authorized. CTU vice president Jesse Sharkey said the voting may take place over several days and that the votes will be counted "until we have a clear result."

Sharkey predicted earlier that CTU would reach the 75 percent necessary to authorize a strike, but it would still be uncertain if one would be called. A fact-finding panel consisting of Sharkey, CPS representative Joseph Moriarty, and neutral Chairperson, Arbitrator Edwin H. Benn, has been working since May 1 and has 75 days to issue a report recommending terms of settlement of the current labor contract, which expires June 30.

Both CTU and CPS have 15 days to either accept or reject the panel's recommendation once the report is released in mid-July. If one or both sides reject the report, the panel will make it available to the public, and the teachers union can call a strike after 30 days.

CTU President Karen Lewis reiterated her position that it isn't the union's wish to strike, but insisted they "were tired of being bullied, belittled and betrayed by (CPS) and the city of Chicago." CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard called the vote "disingenuous."

"What are they voting on?" Brizard said. "You’re asking educated professionals to decide something that they don’t know what they’re deciding on. That is disingenuous and disrespectful of teachers."

This is disingenuous on Brizard's part, for many reasons. As Lewis mentioned, a strike authorization vote does not mean the union will strike. If CTU's members reach the 75 percent threshold required for a strike authorization, the recommendation will go to the union's House of Delegates, who will decide if and when a strike will happen if a new contract with the school system can't be reached.

As for Brizard's notion about what the teachers are voting on? CTU has been saying for months they've been unhappy with the Chicago School Board's plans to eliminate any real enforcement of class size limits; ignore staffing levels in schools; have rejected the union's suggestions for "better school day" proposals; refused to offer job security to teachers; and, finally, rescinded a 4 percent pay raise to teachers last year.

It was only last week that teachers took to the streets to demand a new contract as Mayor Rahm Emanuel—who has seemingly been inching towards a showdown with the teachers union almost from the moment he took office—said that CPS teachers deserved a pay raise.

This may also be a guess, but they may not be pleased with the Board's plan to establish up to 60 new charter schools in the next five years, either.

Adding fuel to the fire, earlier this week Lewis asked the Inspector General of Chicago Public Schools to investigate why school district officials accepted a $35 million "Teacher Incentive Fund" grant in 2010 that required union participation it didn't receive. The union would not agree on this because it deemed the grant a merit-based pay scheme.

Lewis received a call in early March from Education Department official Jo Anderson inquiring about the grant. Anderson was shocked to learn that CTU and CPS never agreed on the collaboration. Lewis claimed CPS stonewalled the union's repeated requests to obtain all documents related to the grant.

CPS claimed they had an agreement on the grant with the union's previous leadership that was voted out in favor of Lewis and is now now blaming Lewis and the union for the return of the grant. CPS chief communications officer Becky Carroll said:

"Because of the CTU’s refusal to work in partnership with us we’re forced to return $34 million that otherwise would have been used to support and reward teachers for the incredible work they are doing on behalf of our children in the classroom every day."

Lewis sent a May 31 email to CPS "Chief Talent Officer" Alicia Winckler, who oversaw the project.

“I am disheartened that CPS chose to go public with this matter, but since you have decided to be extremely disingenuous let us recap the entirety of this issue. This letter does not reflect the depth and breadth of our conversations. You knew when you submitted this grant in 2010, the newly-elected leadership of CTU was philosophically opposed to merit pay, performance pay or whatever euphemism currently in use.

“You knew when you accepted the first federal dollar that your actions were in violation of the terms of the grant, which was supposed to include Union 'buy-in.' You asked for a last-minute discussion about the grant, yet you refused to provide the Union with your correspondence with the DOE since 2010. In essence, this entire discussion, prompted by a deadline, has been dealt with like so many other initiatives in your department - throw something together, slapdash and hope no one notices that it is a train wreck. We are serious about planning, while you want us to sign off on a plan that is not reflective of the written grant because you spent money to which you were not entitled. This letter is a bold attempt to shift responsibility from you to us. That is unacceptable."