Teachers Rally Against Canceled Raises, Longer School Day

Updated 09/01/11 - 5:49 a.m.

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago teachers were staging a rally Wednesday afternoon to protest canceled raises and the push to lengthen the school day.

The teachers and their representatives from the Chicago Teachers Union began the rally at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at 107th Street and Avenue G on the city's Southeast Side.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's Lisa Fielding reports

"We do know that there are people, including parents, who want a longer school day. But they also want their teachers and paraprofessionals to be appropriately compensated," CTU President Karen Lewis said before Wednesday's rally. "That's where the problem is, it's not about the longer school day, it's about how one is appropriately compensated for that work."

As CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports, teachers say they're upset that Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Public Schools bosses want them to work a longer school day, but aren't offering a pay raise the teachers deserve for working longer hours.

"I personally have no problem with a longer school day," said CPS teacher Susan Garza. "I usually don't leave the building until after 5 o'clock anyway. I don't have a problem, I just want to be compensated and validated for what I do."

Teachers are also upset over the school board's decision earlier this summer to cancel 4 percent pay raises that were part of the teachers' contract.

"I think teachers are angry," said CPS teacher Tom Brady. "I'm angry. I deserve my 4 percent raise. I worked hard for it."

At the Wednesday protest, the Chicago teachers also were joined by teachers from Madison and elsewhere in Wisconsin, who were recently embroiled in a battle with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, as a move went ahead to take away their collective bargaining rights.

"I came here because the Chicago teachers supported us at Ground Zero, Wisconsin," said Mary Vite of Janesville.

Earlier Wednesday, Emanuel said he welcomed the presence of Wisconsin teachers at the Chicago teachers' rally.

"Do you know in Wisconsin it's mandated they spend about 151 hours more in the classroom by state law? So, I'm okay with them coming from Wisconsin," Emanuel said. "I'm ready for that if they do the same hours that Wisconsin teachers do."

Emanuel also noted that, even though the school board cancelled contractual raises, most teachers are still getting other pay hikes.

"They're good teachers and I'm not asking anybody to work longer without compensation," Emanuel said. "In Detroit, the teachers are going take a 10 percent pay cut. In Chicago ... three quarters of them are going to get a step and lane pay raise and an additional 2 percent to give our kids a chance at a future."

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports

On Tuesday, Chicago Public Schools chief executive officer Jean-Claude Brizard said he was still hopeful that the Chicago Teachers Union will agree to make the school day – and the school year – longer in the city.

Last week, the Teachers Union rejected an offer by Brizard of a 2 percent raise in exchange for accepting a longer school day, effective in January.

"Yes, we fully support a better, smarter school day for our children but teachers are now being asked to work 29 percent longer for only a 2 percent pay increase," Lewis said in a statement last week. "To that we say thanks, but no thanks. ... Teachers on average already work 21 hours more than they are paid for; we grade papers, create lesson plans, confer with parents and counsel our students. There will be little time for us to do any of that."

Lewis had earlier blasted Brizard for first presenting the offer of a pay raise for a longer school day on TV, rather than bringing it to CTU first.

WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports that Emanuel is now suggesting that a new state law might allow the Chicago Public Schools to impose a longer school day, even if the Teachers Union does not agree on compensation for working the extra time.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports

But Brizard said at the City Club of Chicago Tuesday that he does not want to go that route.

"I'm not looking to impose," he said. "I want to work with my teachers to actually make this happen. Teachers have said to me, they want this, so this is a way of making it happen. Again, we're going to continue to work to talk to the CTU, and teachers directly, about ways of working collaboratively."

Brizard said despite the teachers rejecting the 2 percent pay hike offer, he will keep talking with union officials to get the kids more time in the classroom.

In June, the Chicago School Board voted not to give out 4 percent raises to teachers that were already agreed to in the union contract, in the face of a budget deficit of more than $700 million.

So far, the Chicago Teachers Union says there are no plans for a strike this year, but they will continue to fight for what they call fair wages.

In:
• Jean-Claude Brizard
• Craig Dellimore
• Chicago Teachers Union