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Education Mon Nov 10 2008
Chicago Teachers Twelve Votes Away from City-Wide Protest
On Wednesday, November 5, at the delegate meeting of the Chicago Teachers Union, members were twelve votes shy of a majority to protest the upcoming announcement of another round of massive teachers firings. The motion, proposed by Jackson Potter, member of the reform caucus of the Chicago Teachers Union, CORE (The Caucus of Rank-and-File-Educators) read as follows:
"Approve that CTU organize a protest against contract, turnaround and charter school proliferation by calling for a emergency protest in response to any announcement of mass layoffs, scheduled for the Monday following such an announcement."
Union president Marilyn Stewart herself came down off the dais to argue against the motion, blaming membership for the inaction of the CTU leadership in opposing these school closings and mass teacher firings.
The Chicago Board of Education has recently announced the opening of 13 new schools for 2009, the turnarounds of up to 12 additional schools. This will eliminate over 1500 union positions. The CPS has not released the names of the schools involved, making a this a waiting game for the 30,000+ Chicago Public School Teachers anticipating the news as to whether or not they will have a job next year.
