CTU Delegates Voice Support For Bargaining Team
UPDATED: 8:55 p.m.
(CBS) -- Chicago Teachers Union delegates met for 90 minutes Wednesday evening and voiced their support for the actions being taken by the union's leaders.
Union leadership faced teacher delegates two days after rejecting a contract offer and hours after taking the symbolic move of withdrawing $725,000 and closing its account at the Bank of America, which the union accuses of tricking the Board of Education into making bad investments.
Podcast
Teachers Pension Fund President Jay Rehak says the leadership received unanimous backing.
"Everybody unanimously said thank you big bargaining team," he said. "There was a long standing ovation for those folks for sticking up. You know it's difficult to be a tough person in hard times but we're resolute and we're ready to go."
Rehak said Schools CEO Forrest Claypool's threat to cut off pension payments a month from now is irresponsible, and said the timing is unfortunate.
"When they don't pay that money...then we lose the opportunity to invest that money and that's going to cost the city of Chicago even more money down the road," he said.
Rehak said teachers are ready for a protest rally outside the Bank of America regional office, scheduled late Thursday afternoon, and ready for more negotiations, talks from which another teacher said no one can walk away a winner.
