Chicago Teachers Strike Morning Update: Jesse Jackson Offers To Mediate (But It May Not Come To That); School Board Considering Closing Schools After Strike Is Settled
By Chuck Sudo in News on Sep 13, 2012 4:40PM
- It's Day Four of the Chicago teachers strike and Rev. Jesse Jackson has offered to mediate negotiations between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union. Jackson told CBS 2's Jay Levine the two sides "can't hear each other."
“This is not the time to choose sides,” he said. “Both sides need mutual respect.”
Jackson has experience in dealing with city/labor union impasses. He helped mediate an agreement to the 1980 firefighters strike and the 1987 teachers strike that lasted 19 days. But this isn't the 80s, Jackson is older and we fear Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CTU president Karen Lewis would eat him alive.
- While Jackson was trying to insinuate himself into the negotiations offered his help, negotiations between CPS and CTU took a turn for the better Wednesday, although a deal still isn't in place. Maybe the possibility of Jackson insinuating himself into negotiations snapped CPS and CTU out of their staring contest. More likely, they've been searing each other all along.
Lewis said the atmosphere at the bargaining table was better than it had been, but cautioned that even if a new deal is reached, school may not be back in session until Monday. CPS chief education officer Barbara Byrd-Bennett had predicted students would return Friday but Lewis said there was still too much on the table to settle to reach that conclusion.
- Charter school teachers have been caught in the crossfire between CPS and CTU, since class is in session for the system's 96 charter schools. Unionized teachers at 14 of the system's charter schools say the strike gives a voice to their own concerns. These teachers have unionized through the Chicago Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff (ACTS) and were even part of the huge downtown rally outside CPS and haven't been discouraged from voicing their support for the strike. (Twelve of the 14 charter schools with union representation have a no-strike clause negotiated in their contracts. Charter schools have also resisted organizing by teachers.)
- We mention charter schools because the School Board still plans to shut down underperforming and low-enrollment schools on the South and West sides in favor of charters. The Tribune cites sources as saying 80 to 120 schools could be affected and that the Emanuel administration will begin a targeted outreach program to promote the charter school option once a deal has been reached with the teachers union.
Charter schools have been a major sticking point with CTU. Lewis has derided charters as taking CPS' limited resources away from neighborhood schools, while CTU has complained that charters will hire non-union teachers instead of laid-off union teachers.
School Board member Martha Hines confirmed to the Tribune that there have been discussions on school closings, but wouldn't go in depth as to the number of schools targeted.