Teachers on Strike in Chicago? History of Teachers Unions
The hot weather isn’t the only aggressive heat you’ll find in Chicago this summer. The city has been overwhelmed with the feverish debate between Mayor Emanuel and Chicago Public Schools versus the Chicago Teachers Union. The contention between CPS and CTU involves many issues, some of the most talked about are CPS’s intentions to lengthen the school day by 40 minutes and a potential salary raise for teachers despite Chicago’s $665 million deficit. In May somewhere close to 5,000 teachers rallied down the streets of Chicago and in June, 90% of union teacher members voted ‘yes’ to strike if a compromise could not be reached. While both sides have valid points, let’s take a step out of the hot box and see what light a little history can shed on this issue.
CTU Rally in May 2012
Given the long and tenuous relationship between Chicago and unions, I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that the tense relationship between Chicago and its teachers uni