Teachers Union Prepared For Strike: ‘We’re Fed Up’

April 5, 2012 12:48 PM

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said an informal poll of teachers at 150 public schools showed “overwhelming” support for a strike if contract talks with the Emanuel administration break down. (Credit: CBS)

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CHICAGO (CBS) – The Chicago Teacher’s Union said Thursday that contract talks with the Emanuel administration are “cordial,” but the union is also planning for the possibility of a strike.

WBBM Newsradio’s Mike Krauser reports, to hear CTU President Karen Lewis tell it, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CPS administrators have taken the joy out of teaching.

“Chicago teachers and paraprofessionals are fed up,” Lewis said Thursday morning. “They’re tired of being blamed, bullied and belittled by the very district that should support them.”

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Mike Krauser reports

Emanuel said strike talk is a distraction from the teachers’ real job.

“Anytime anybody’s not focused on their first priority – which is teaching our children – that’s where I get angst,” Emanuel said “There will be plenty of time for other discussions. Don’t take away from your main mission, your job, what the people of the city of Chicago, the parents, the taxpayers expect of you, which is to teach our children.”

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s John Cody reports

The union accused Emanuel, CPS Chief Executive Officer Jean-Claude Brizard, and the Chicago Board of Education of leaving teachers out of efforts to improve schools and forcing them to accept a longer school day and longer school year without explaining how to pay for it or use the extra time to benefit students.

“We’re being asked to work harder and longer, in order to further inflict upon our students mindless experiment after mindless experiment,” Lewis said. “The school district, however, calls these experiments reform. And when their experiments fail, it is the teacher who is blamed and evaluated.”

Lewis said teachers at 150 schools have taken an informal vote and are overwhelmingly in favor of a strike if contract talks break down.

“I’ve never seen anything like this hostile climate,” she said.

She refused, however, to provide a list of the schools polled by the union.

Lewis said ongoing contract talks with CPS are “cordial,” but said “we are still very much far apart.”

Brizard defended CPS officials, saying “everything that we’re doing, honestly, is being done in collaboration with the CTU.”

He also said talk of a strike at this point is unfortunate.

“We shouldn’t be talking about the s-word. Let’s talk about finding a way to work together to improve a system that will benefit nearly a half million children,” Brizard said.

Brizard said the district isn’t thinking about a possible strike, but instead focusing on resolving contract talks.

Authorizing a strike would be a hefty task for the teachers. New legislation passed at the urging of the mayor sets a very high bar before teachers can strike. It requires 75 percent of the union’s members — not just those who vote — to authorize a walkout.

Teachers Union Prepared For Strike: Were Fed Up

jim

Typical union BS…..

Whiskey…Tango…Foxtrot

Out of 34 developed industrialized countries, the U.S. ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math. Unions have done nothing but protect incompetent teachers and destroyed the American education system. ..

BEEN THERE

IF THE TEACHERS ARE COMPETENT SHE/HE IS GOING TO PRODUCE INCOMPETENT STUDENTS DO TO A LACK OF RESOURCES AND IMCOMPETENT PARENTS AND PRINCIPALS.
zatso

Go back to school, you need it.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

OLD VET

FED UP ??? NO I THINK SHE IS OVER FED !!

john

Moron democrats gave this communist self centered union anything for political support. Now what?
Craig

Teachers union….teachers demands…while 50% of Chicago’s kids don’t finish high school. Pathetic!

BEEN THERE

Isn’t it the parents RESPONSIBILITY to see that their child is in school EVERYDAY?
saywhat3

What do teachers have to do with the drop out rate.?
Mar

CPS teachers work their butts off to teach students. They can not take into account parents who don’t care, students in gangs and other environmental influences.

Me

What’s a para-professional? Someone that doesn’t work full time?

BEEN THERE

A PARA PRFESSIONAL IS A TEACHER’S AIDE. SOMETIMES THEY COMPLETE TASKS FOR THE CASE MANAGER OR PRINCIPAL. ADDITIONALLY, A CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS MAY REQUIRE THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANT.

Karen Lewis

Not only am I fed up….I’m hungry

Does anyone know where my bologna and roast beef chicken salad sandwich is? I left it on the radiator this morning when I was in the teachers lounge.

I’m going to have to cancel class till I find my sandwich

Mike

@ Karen,HA,HA,HA…HA,HA,HA!!!

familygal

The union is there protecting students. Student achievement is diminished after the 18th child enters the room, and yet we now have classrooms that have as many as 42 students in them. Teachers aren’t given the respect they deserve. You are all attacking the very people who go in day in and day out, if times are good or not, they work for a maximum of a 4% raise, usually it’s 2% and this year it was nothing. They don’t get bonuses, profit sharing, or any other kind of bonuses. I’m not a teacher, I’m someone who works for CPS that doesn’t belong to a union because I can’t. Let’s see what have they done to us without a union….10 furlough days,0% increase in salary or benefits, mandatory enrollment in an employee health plan, our investment firms like ING and Valic were taken from us so that we could use one of the firms that backed Huberman or Daley. The littlest Dictator beats up on the teachers because he’s a bully, and weak minded people pick up his torch and bully the teachers. You teach your own kids then, see what you get. Charter schools are in violation of many IEP’s (Spec, Ed.), and their teachers are not state certified, but the little dicator continues to delude people about them, and the people are too lazy to seek the truth for themselves.

BEEN THERE

Great Lakes is the firm that is backed by Huberman/Daley and that is an issue Karen Lewis should bring to light and how unnecessary that company is. It is also works as a middle man when dealing with agents from ING, Valic, and Medlife. Great Lakes begin taking my money from my check and was putting it in an account that I knew nothing about until I got a letter from them. I THREATEN TO SUE BECAUSE I NEVER AUTHORIZE THEM TO DO IT.
saywhat3

People are too lazy to seek the truth for themselves. That’s why Rush Limbaugh is a millionaire.

Susan

This is nothing but extortion – threatening to strike. Karen Lewis and the rest of the union thugs who support her should be ashamed to take their paychecks – if only 50% of the kids are performing at grade level and/or graduating, then they should only get 50% of their pay. Welcome to the real world where we have to peform to get paid and where we don’t retire and STILL get paid 80% of our full salary plus benefits.

Seriously – she is probably threatening to strike so she can focus on eating 24/7!
coca blos

BRAVO for the teachers!! Be STRONG and do not let the vultures take your hard earned everything! BE United ! and FIGHT !!! I pray for you !I know how you feel !
Larry Horse’s Arse Horse’s Arse

Then see ya, and don’t let the door hit ya on the way out.
Paul

It’s so fashionable to blame the union which is giving Emanuel support to strong-arm and bully the teachers. Be honest, if your work day was lengthened and perks were taken away would you want to be compensated? And then Emanuel muddies the water by stating that teachers need to focus on their job not their compensation. Get real! Teachers want to teach and be successful while being treated fairly. Emanuel is treating the teachers like garbage.

And you want to blame the teachers for the lack of achievement? How many shootings did we have last weekend? How’s the truancy? What kind or role models are the parents? Do they support the school or fight the school? In a poverty, urban area the results will never be comparable to the idealized achievement of the middle and upper class students that they are compared to. Everybody’s got an opinion on education but so few have the expertise to intelligently comment on it.

BEEN THERE

Paul, I comment on it all of the time and everything you said is correct. However, you left out another aspect of the situation and that is horrible principals.
Elyse Martin

Thank you so much for your accurate comment. I am sick and tired of all the teacher bashing and blaming!! Thank you, thank you!
WHY

AMEN

xomaman

As a CPS for over ten years, I can tell you that Rahmbo is nothing more than a union busting bully. When SB7 passed and one of the components made it the law that 75% of Chicago union teachers must vote for a strike. What people don’t realize is that a strike vote FOR EVERY OTHER TEACHER in the State of Illinois is only 50% plus one! My point is that then I thought that this ended the possibility for a strike ( as the law intended). But the arrogant Rahmbo is wrong because well more than 75% will vote to strike. Why? Because he’s leaving us no choice as his proposed contract will take all union rights away for teachers and allow firing of (YES, EVEN THE GOOD ONES) teachers at will. So all you teacher bashers out there, when an uneducated youth robs you because he or she didn’t have the opportunity to learn, don’t blame the teachers, BLAME YOUSELF. I must go now, on my own time, and prepare my lessons for next week since I’m there for the children, unlike Rahmbo who’s there for his EGO.

Susan

Clearly, you are a CPS teacher because you cannot string together a coherent sentence that is grammatically correct! Just a few examples:
BLAME YOUSELF (sic)
As a CPS for over ten years (sic) – a CPS what? Oops, forgot the NOUN in that sentence.

This genius probably teaches English too. So, no, xomaman – when an uneducated youth robs me, I’ll blame YOU!

LYNDIA

Don’t blame the teacher, STUPID. BLAME THE LITTLE THUG AND THE WAY HE WAS RAISED.
zatso

Idi Amin, good evening

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
xomaman

Oh, sorry SuszieQ that I didn’t spell check my post. I thought that people like YOU can figure out the content of the post. So go “sic” yourself. Or better yet, become a CPS teacher and make the world a better place. Have a great day.

buttons

Susan, you’re comments are so very ignorant. Get paid based only on the students performance! Ha! You can be the best of the best teachers, but you do not go home with each and every one of your students. The students poor performance is a result of their negligent HOME life. Lets get real, Susan.

Susan

Buttons,
You are the ignorant one who would NEVER make it in the REAL world where that is how our compensation is determined – based on merit and performance. Teachers constantly resist this because they KNOW they are doing a terrible job. Step up and quit blaming their home life. If their parents are so negligent, are you properly reporting them under the mandating reporting provisions in the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act? Plus, the law is only saying that your performance will be based 50% on student performance – so you can still play the “blame game” for the other 50%.

BEEN THERE

Susan, you are as dumb as a box of rocks. Because a child is not being raised properly and education is not emphazied in their life, is that the teachers fault? I do not believe it is. You sound like a person from the Northshore and you are bringing in YOUR values to the inner city and they do not work. They never have and they never will. If a child is being raised in a household where their families are gang members, for example, YOU DO NOT CALL DCFS FOR THAT. YOU DO NOT CALL DCFS WHEN A CHILD DOSEN’T GO TO BED UNTIL 3-4 IN THE MORNING ORCOME TO SCHOOL SMELLING LIKE REEFERS OR URINE.
zatso

blah, blah, blah…

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

oh brother

Buttons,

That’s not ignorant. That’s going on in Indiana. If a teacher gets a Master’s degree and teaches in Indiana, they only get a 1/3 of master’s pay. The rest is performance based.

We’re already seeing CPS student come over illegally to Indiana to come to school. These students are causing problems because they are so far behind. When they get into trouble, the parents, who were babies having babies, are at the school blowing a gasket.

I have a friend who teaches in Indiana and has seen his class size grow by at least 75% from 15 to 27-28 because of CPS students coming over. He’s having to re-teach basic algebra to those students. They’ve caused problems in his classroom and have become a big distraction that he has considered quitting teaching. He’s been teaching for almost 20 yrs.

The City of Chicago and CPS need to start working together before their problem becomes a two state problem.

JJ

I have often heard the schools in Indiana are better than cps. I have seen parents move from Indiana to Chicago and within a year or two they moved back because the schools are so bad in Chicago. They did not like the principals either.

dj

Stop blaming teachers for what a student doesn’t do. Where are the parents? When does a student take responsiblity for what they do or don’t do? I was a meeting for one of the turnaway schools. Do you know how many PARENTS showed up out of 560 students. NONE. So, let me ask you? How much do these parents care about their kids? They don’t. The teachers can only teach those who want to learn. If they don’t what would you like them to do? Teachers need to protect themselves. So, they are doing what they need to do.
Spookiest spook

Can’t teach monkeys

JJ

can’t teach poor white trash either

sickened

The city should enact on-line learning. We don’t need 2/3 of the teachers.

Roberta Waker

@sickened. I believe some areas in Chicago DO have an online program with teachers from India that is working very well and has had outstanding results. If this is true, it should be expanded to include every school child possible so we won’t have to worry about strikes and raises every year. Plus, we might be able to keep the good teachers where teachers are necessary. We should expand this program as soon as possible.

buttons

I could care less about percentages. It still gets down to the bottom line. The students lack of parenting and responsibility at home is the number ONE reason for drop outs, failing and poor scores. While I understand there is no easy fix, and yes, students who are far behind hinder the other students in the class’ education. But don’t blame the teachers! Education is not a “profit” making business. (to Karen) You will never see a wealthy teacher (unless he/she has inherited money or won the lottery) A teachers day does not end at 2:30, so don’t go there either. A summer vacation? Most teacher work til the end of June and are back at the beginning of August planning their year. I’d like to see a non teacher spend a year with 35- 9 year olds, or perhaps 125- 13 year olds, or 150- 17 year olds, day in and out, trying to nurture and expand their minds. Go ahead, give it a try, for lets say a starting pay of 50,000 a year.

Cynic

$50k starting salary for working 10 months? 9 hours a day? I’ll take it.

End June through Beg. August is 6-7 weeks off…plus Christmas\Winter, Spring Break, all the other days that Chicago has that no other city has as holidays.

Susan

Starting ATTORNEYS are getting $50K – working 14 hour days 350 days/year – and they are saddled with $100k in student loan debt quite often. So, yes, “buttons,” I do expect you to DO YOUR JOB and DO IT WELL for $50k and all of the ridiculous pension benefits, etc. If you don’t like it, QUIT and get a different job; it’s a free country.
madashell

I have been told that hospitals are now being reimbursed based on outcomes. If a patient gets an infection in the hospital medicare/medicaid will not reimburse for the cost of treating the infection.( I suppose commercial insurance will soon follow ) I will guess that those requiring medicaid can be described as those kids who don’t want to learn. Those are the type who don’t follow doctors orders. Those hard working doctors, nurses and nurses aides work 365/24/7, mostly nonunion. They don’t have profit sharing OR A PENSION. Donna healthcare professional are on their feet 8-10-12 hour shifts. They deal with demanding family because they did not like how crazy grampa was treated the night before when he went wandering to another patients room and upset others. Healthcare professionals are also educators they must educate a patient on how to care for their heath needs. It is most difficult when those patients don’t now how to read the printed handouts for home designed to supplement teaching done in the hospital. So go ahead give it a try buttons – the medical field has the most turnover in technology and regulations that healthcare professionals must keep up on their own time. They NEVER have time to take a lunch , because crazy grandpa needs someone to watch him. SHOULD grandpa hurt himself in the process guess who gets sued????? I bet a teacher would be first in line to sue if a family member doesn’t get anything but first rate care!!!

buttons

Ok, cynic. Now try living on that starting salary.

Cynic

Buttons…Its a pay raise for me. I live quite well in my own home, 2 cars, a loving stay-at-home wife, and 3 kids all on less than $50k/year.

the rapture

go ahead strike – at the end of the school year – nice timing
malcom

ever notice you NEVER see private school teachers going on strike? You know the same Schools that turn out better students and citizens.

Lyndia

I support private schooling for my kids but everybody cannot afford it or they are unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices to put their kids there. It is true, the private schools turn out better students however, if your child is a damn fool it dosen’t make good sense to put your child there because they are going to kick them out. Private schools are better because they only DEAL WITH STUDENTS THAT WANT TO LEARN. Teachers are not expected to babysit, they are expected to teach and they can because they do not have to deal with dumb, rude, and disruptive students. In the private schools, they do not refer to the students as OUR CHILDREN. THEY REFER TO THEM AS, OUR FUTURE.
xomaman

malcom, that’s because “private school teachers” don’t have any rights for striking or can and do get fired at will. Let’s not forget that the private schools can, at will, kick out any students causing behavior problems. Guess where they then end up?

cps 5th grade teachr

CYNIC

DOES YOUR JOB frce you to live in chicago and pay for your own supplies?

Cynic

No…I choose to live in the city. And yes I buy 80-90% of my own supplies.
madashell

Medical professional buy their own stethoscopes, 50 to 500$, flashlights, forceps, medical grade scissors , mandatory uniforms as well as educational conferences and sometime educational handouts!! Medical reference books cost in the range of 200 – 300$. They are an essential piece or “equiptment” . Not even a genius can remember all the old medications and learn the new medications and remember all of it!!!!

cps 5th grade teachr

I meant force you to live in Chicago
zatso

If you don’t Strike, you LOSE!

The System is going down the tubes.

Both Eastern GOOFS, POLICE
/SCHOOL, are playing with fudged numbers.

Both will leave Rich.

GOOD LUCK!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Students first

I realize that the City of Chicago has financial problems, as does the rest of country…I work very hard to teach. I didn’t go into teaching for the fame and fortune! I love working with students and I love when they get excited about learning! I’ve been doing it for many years and yes I’m a tenured teacher, but that doesn’t make me lazy! I work very hard every day! My own kids are in public school! I believe in public education!

I worked have a bachelors index cations, a masters in curriculum and instruction, and I am endorsed to work with middle schoolers in math and science! I prepared myself, I pushed myself, and have grown as a teacher because this is what I love to do! However, it is very sad that I am not given credit as a professional, or as an educated teacher.

I am disappointed that education is being treated as a corporation. Not all students make the same progress no matter how hard you try! Not all kids have the same home life and same support after school! I push every single one of my 80, sixth graders, I don’t give up on any of them…unfortunately some of them give up on themselves…

CPS told me go get a masters, get endorsements, show that you deserve compensation and now they don’t want to treat me as a professional…why is that ok?

zatso

Sorry to read your sad plight.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Donna

It amazes me that you speak of teachers with such a negative attitude when the majority of society has no clue about what goes on in a classroom on a daily basis. Crazy parents cursing you out, students with no supplies and attention issues, lack of resources in the bulding to effectively do your job on top of classroom overcrowding. How dare you preach to me about performance pay. There is no other profession that requires its workers to work longer days without compensation. Teachers are only responsible for a small portion of a child’s education. Parents play a much larger role in a child’s educational success or failure. If Johnny does not come to school prepared to learn explain to me how I am responsible for that. Teachers stand on their feet all day, in front a classroom full of kids and perform the impossible. Until you step up and can do the same stay in your lane. I bet you wouldn’t last a day.

mike

you knew that going in, so why complain about it now.

Susan

EXACTLY! They are all getting paid MORE for teaching in CPS because it is a Title I school, which gets tons of extra federal dollars. Many of them probably get even more money because of SIG and other grants. They complain about THE very thing that adds all of that extra butter to their bread. Just disgusting! Tell them to move out of the city to a rural area to teach – why don’t they do that!?

zatso

You are right on.

Wake up Parents. You are the blame for the most part.

Your local school councils started the mess, live with it now.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
madashell

I guess that those requiring medicaid can be described as those kids who don’t want to learn. Those are the type who don’t follow doctors orders. Those hard working doctors, nurses and nurses aides work 365/24/7, mostly nonunion. They don’t have profit sharing OR A PENSION. Donna healthcare professional are on their feet 8-10-12 hour shifts. They deal with demanding family because they did not like how crazy grampa was treated the night before when he went wandering to another patients room and upset others. Healthcare professionals are also educators they must educate a patient on how to care for their heath needs. It is most difficult when those patients don’t now how to read the printed handouts for home designed to supplement teaching done in the hospital. So go ahead give it a try buttons – the medical field has the most turnover in technology and regulations that healthcare professionals must keep up on their own time. They NEVER have time to take a lunch , because crazy grandpa needs someone to watch him. SHOULD grandpa hurt himself in the process guess who gets sued????? I bet a teacher would be first in line to sue if a family member doesn’t get anything but first rate care!!!

zatso

You are correct.

I’m sure you do a great job and that efforts are rewarded.

Keep up the good work.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<,,,,,
madashell

Donna how about being interrupted while taking care of crazy grandpa, with phone calls from family members who don’t feel like coming to visit so they call!!! So – a task that should take 20 mins now takes twice as long because you have to run up and down the hall to answer the phone at the nurses station? Not to mention the important phone calls with the doctors because the patients family gave a list of demands to the nurse but won’t wait to talk to the Dr themselves.
Still waiting for a rebuttal from Donna.