The Chicago Teachers Union is warning of a potentially long strike ahead. The union gauged its members’ willingness to strike in a questionnaire last week. The union said poll results showed 97 percent of their members support a walkout.
Even though there was no use of the word “strike” on the ballot, union officials say the questionnaire was similar to what was voted on before the 2012 strike.
A spokesperson for Chicago Public Schools responded to the mock vote, saying the administration is committed to working toward a solution with the union and asked CTU to join them in pressuring Springfield for fair treatment of Chicago’s children — not a strike.
The district is predicting large cuts in February if lawmakers in Springfield don’t send the nation’s third-largest public school district about $480 million
Superintendent Forrest Claypool told NBC 5 Chicago he would meet with principals in December to discuss cuts if the state doesn’t provide funds.
Governor Rauner told a crowd in Dekalb last month Illinois taxpayers will not bail out Chicago unless Chicago cooperates with the governor’s reform agenda.
State law requires a process taking approximately four months before unionized teachers could lawfully walk off the job. The two sides have been at odds over pay increases since the union’s contract expired June 30th.
Cole Lauterbach ([email protected]) is a reporter for the Illinois News Network, a project of the Illinois Policy Institute. An earlier version of this article first appeared at http://ilnews.org/6525/ctu-tells-members-to-start-saving-for-possible-prolonged-strike/. Reprinted with permission.
