Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Chicago Teachers Union | Strike Central

Chicago Teachers Union | Strike Central:


Latest Information (10:40pm September 17)

NEW! Click here for answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the tentative agreement.
NEW! Click here to see the proposed steps and lanes.
Click here for the latest copy of the On the Line daily strike bulletin.
Click here for a new flier explaining to parents the gains for students in the tentative agreement.
Some 800 delegates of the Chicago Teachers Union duly elected from each school and workplace convened Sunday afternoon to discuss the framework established during negotiations between the Chicago Teachers Union and the Chicago Board of Education. Officers presented a 23-page document outlining the most important points of the agreement whose outline has been worked out between the two parties. That tentative agreement is expected to number over 180 pages. A shorter summary of what we won and what we wanted to win but didn't, are in this separate document.
After a civil and frank discussion, the House of Delegates voted NOT to suspend the strike, but to allow two more days for delegates to take the information back to the picket lines and hold discussions with the union’s more than 26,000 members throughout Chicago. Teachers and school staff will return to the picket lines of the schools at which they teach at 7:30 a.m. Monday and, after picketing together, will meet to share and discuss the proposal. Citywide members will picket at the Chicago Public Schools Headquarters, 125 South Clark, at 7:30 a.m. and will meet thereafter at a downtown location.
“This union is a democratic institution, which values the opportunity for all members to make decisions together. The officers of this union follow the lead of our members,” President Lewis said. She continued, “the issues raised in this contract were too important, had consequences too profound for the future of our public education system and for educational fairness for our students, parents and members for us to simply take a quick vote based on a short discussion. Therefore, a clear majority voted to take this time and we are unified in this decision.”
The delegates voted to reconvene on Tuesday afternoon.

 
NOTE:
The union is not on strike over matters governed exclusively by IELRA Section 4.5 and 12(b).
CTU members rally on may 23rd. Signs read Whatever We Do We Will Do Together and Love Our StudentsCTU Strike Headquarters is located at Teamster City.
On Van Buren between Ashland and Paulina on the north side of I-290 - the Eisenhower Expressway.
Use Ashland Avenue exits from I-290 in either direction. 
The CTU Strike Hotline (with regularly updated recorded message) is 312-329-6209! 
Sign up for text messaging:
Send a text to 69238 (MYAFT) with "CTU1" as the body of the message.
Post pictures at Flickr.com/groups/strike2012
Click here for previous contract bulletins.
We have received messages and donations in solidarity from around the country and even the world!Click here for a map.