Neoliberal Democrats Attack: Chicago Teachers Strike
The unionized teachers in the nation’s third-largest school district went on strike Monday. The call to strike from the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) came after receiving the authorization of 98 percent of its members.
The dynamics of the struggle in Chicago are ones well known to teachers the nation over. In the name of school “reform,” the administrators and board members of the Chicago Public School (CPS) system have sought to impose a merit-based pay scheme for teachers based on standardized testing. Simultaneously, CPS has dangled the promise of “school choice” in front of parents and students in an effort to expand publically funded, privately run charter schools staffed by non-union teachers. The self-proclaimed reformers have all the while tirelessly maintained the now stale mantra that the fault for failing schools lies with sub-par teachers.
Of course, Chicago teachers—like workers across the nation—also face the threat of pay cuts and increased
The dynamics of the struggle in Chicago are ones well known to teachers the nation over. In the name of school “reform,” the administrators and board members of the Chicago Public School (CPS) system have sought to impose a merit-based pay scheme for teachers based on standardized testing. Simultaneously, CPS has dangled the promise of “school choice” in front of parents and students in an effort to expand publically funded, privately run charter schools staffed by non-union teachers. The self-proclaimed reformers have all the while tirelessly maintained the now stale mantra that the fault for failing schools lies with sub-par teachers.
Of course, Chicago teachers—like workers across the nation—also face the threat of pay cuts and increased
