Collective Bargaining Battleground: Illinois
Looking for signs of the momentum building behind efforts to make sweeping changes to teacher pay and job protections? Look no further than Illinois, a state with a strong union tradition, where lawmakers are nonetheless considering a sweeping proposal this session that would base tenure upon performance, make it easier to fire ineffective teachers, and make it more difficult for teachers to strike.
A bipartisan special legislative committee recently staged two days of hearings on a measure dubbed the Performance Counts Act, which lawmakers are likely to consider during the upcoming session.
The proposals would require that hiring for new and vacant positions be based on performance, not seniority, make it easier to fire teachers who aren't doing the job, and base tenure decisions on merit. But most controversially, it would create a series of steps that would create a longer and more difficult process for teachers to strike, as I read a draft of the measure.
I spoke with the co-chair of the legislative committee, Republican Roger Eddy,