Strike memory.
Today’s strike authorization vote by members of the Chicago Teachers Union brings back memories of the week that my local went out on strike.
It was a cold November week in 2003.
Our strike memory is still fresh for many. Two thirds of those presently teaching in Park Ridge, District 64 took part in that strike.
There had not been a strike in our district for a quarter of a century. Few teachers ever thought they would ever need to walk out. For many it was a decision they made with a certain degree of anxiety and fear of the
It was a cold November week in 2003.
Our strike memory is still fresh for many. Two thirds of those presently teaching in Park Ridge, District 64 took part in that strike.
There had not been a strike in our district for a quarter of a century. Few teachers ever thought they would ever need to walk out. For many it was a decision they made with a certain degree of anxiety and fear of the
The in box. Bob Lyons on what’s next.
Bob Lyons is a member of the Teacher Retirement System Board of Trustees.
What will happen next on pension reduction in Illinois will depend in part on if the union representatives along with the IRTA are allowed to actually be part of the process of negotiation. Do you recall hearing from Tom Cross, minority leader in the Illinois House, and Christine Radogno, holding the same position in the Senate, that our people were not part of the process in the spring. Of course the reason they may have thought that was the case could be because Cross and Radogno weren’t even in the room. The unions were there, but the Republican leaders were not, and while our people were making proposals to Speaker Madigan and President of the Senate Cullerton, my impression was the two Democratic leaders were themselves talking more than listening. Certainly SB1673 was not the result of negotiation. The bond rating agencies are threatening to drop the rating of Illinois state bonds, already the worst in the nation, by two