Another Teacher's Strike Looms for Charter School Network

By aaroncynic in News on Oct 7, 2016 3:58PM

As the days inch closer to a potential strike by the Chicago Teacher’s Union, one of the city’s largest networks of charter schools is mulling its own.

In a near-unanimous vote of 531 out of 532 members, an overwhelming 96 percent of the United Educators of UNO voted in favor of striking if they can’t come to an agreement with management by Oct. 19.

“We took this historic vote to show management that we are willing to go to great lengths to insure that our students have the best opportunities for a great education,” Erica Stewart, a member of UEU’s bargaining team and 5th grade teacher at Sandra Cisernos Charter School, said in a press release. “Our members have overwhelmingly voted to send a strong message to management that they need to step up and do the right thing for our kids and our schools.

Should the UEU walk out, it would be the first strike in U.S. history for a charter school network.

The union has been in contract negotiations with UCSN for more than seven months. The two parties have been at odds over a pension contribution, potential class size increases, the number of work days and instructional time, salary increases and potential cuts. The USCN says as of Aug. 9, it provided an average of a 6.2 percent pay increase, and that it’s struggling financially thanks to a $5.7 million reduction in funding due to cuts within the Chicago Public Schools system.

“We value our teachers and want to ensure they are fairly compensated, but have to do so in a way that allows us to continue providing the quality education that UCSN is known for and that our students deserve,” said the network in a statement on Sept. 30.

Representatives from the UEU however, say that potential revamps in teacher’s schedules, a denial of cost-of-living increases, and a potential increase in insurance contributions and pension payments if management were allowed to reopen contract negotiations during 2017-2018 would amount to a substantial cut in what its members take home.

The union also says the recent layoff of 29 people and elimination of an additional 5 support positions has severely impacted teachers, who have to shoulder the workload of some of the layoffs. It also criticized UNO for not making any cuts to management.

“Parents rely on support staff and teachers to help students thrive in UNO’s classrooms, while UNO managers make top dollar—and have announced no cuts in management salary or benefits,” the UEU said in a statement.

Chris Baehrend, President of Chicago ACTS Local 4343, the parent union that represents UNO teachers and support staff, said that management has simply chosen not to fairly compensate union members or protect classroom conditions.

“This is a struggle to defend great public schools and our students against unnecessary cuts—and our members are united in our commitment to that mission, even if it means we have to hit the picket line to protect our kids,” Baehrend said.