The Chicago Teachers Union Is Holding A Strike Training Day This Weekend
By Gwendolyn Purdom in News on Aug 18, 2016 5:28PM
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With students slated to head back to their classrooms in just a few weeks, the Chicago Teachers Union fanned some long-smoldering flames of tension this week when they invited members to participate in a Saturday strike training workshop. An email that went out to teachers this week said the union is "likely to strike this fall," Chicago Tonight reports, and Saturday's event aims to arm potential strikers with "tactics to stick it to the boss" and other skills.
According to LaborNotes.org, the website of the Detroit-based group that's organizing the weekend gathering, several different unions and worker centers will participate.
From the Labor Notes event page:
"Our bully mayor, billionaire governor, and greedy corporations in Illinois are pushing a coordinated agenda. They want to slash wages, abolish pensions, outsource jobs, and gut public services. We'll need unity to fight back and win."
Informational sessions Saturday will include "Planning and Winning Strikes," "How to Get Your Message Out," "Turning an Issue Into a Campaign," "Beating Apathy," and the aforementioned "Stick it to The Boss."
The Teachers Union and CPS butted heads just last week when the school system released its proposed budget. CPS CEO Forrest Claypool said unless teachers accept the contract they rejected earlier this year, their schools will face cuts, while CTU President Karen Lewis told reporters if CPS pushes for a proposed 7 percent salary cut, her members will strike.
The beef is the latest disagreement in a long history of contentiousness between the groups. As recently as April, CTU staged a one-day walkout to push for new contracts and an expanded budget.
Saturday's training event will be held at the UIC student center.