CHICAGO — Thousands of striking Chicago public school teachers packed a city park Saturday in a show of force as union leaders and the district tried to work out the details of a tentative agreement that would end a week-long walkout.
Months of contract negotiations came down to two main issues: job security and union opposition to a new teacher evaluation process it felt was too heavily weighted on student test scores. The wrangling in one of the nation's largest school districts was being closely watched around the country because of its implications for other labor disputes at a time when unions have been losing ground.
Union leaders who announced a framework for a deal on Friday said they would not end the strike — the first in Chicago in 25 years — until they see an agreement in writing. Saturday's talks were aimed at settling on that exact language, and both sides were hopeful that children could be back in class on Monday.
Addressing demonstrators Saturday, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said "the struggle is not over" and there was still a long road to ensuring all residents of the city have equal access to quality schools, especially in neighborhoods beset by gang violence and poverty.
"Our mission is very clear: we fight for equal, high-quality public education for all," Jackson said. "When school opens again there will be 160 schools without a public library. ... When school opens again, there will be schools yet without books. So we fight today for schools on the South and West Side to look like schools on the North Side."
Saturday's talks were taking place at the offices of union attorney Robert Bloch, who told the Chicago Sun-Times there was still a lot of work to be done, although the sides had agreed on the most contentious issues.
The union hopes to present the wording of a deal to its House of Delegates for review on Sunday. If they approve it, students could be back in class on Monday.
On his way into the talks, Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jesse Sharkey was optimistic that timetable was still possible.
"We're hopeful that we can do it but frankly like I said, the devil is in the details of this contract and we want it in writing," he told the Sun-Times. "We're going to go in today and hammer (out) the details."
Until teachers see the exact wording, they'll continue to strike.
"They are suspicious, you have to understand," union President Karen Lewis told reporters Friday after a meeting with nearly 800 members of the union's House of Delegates. "We have been a little burnt by the (school) board in the past."
Union members from Wisconsin, Minnesota and elsewhere joined Saturday's rally in solidarity, and speaker after speaker said the labor fight in Chicago was important for unions everywhere. Reflecting the optimism of the past few days, the gathering also had a festive atmosphere, with people pounding drums and grilling hot dogs, and children playing.
"People are going to go down and celebrate that the teachers union in Chicago stood up to the corporate reform agenda," said Bob Peterson, president of the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association. "I think they've come out with some real victories for the kids of Chicago."
For Wisconsin teachers, the rally also served as a moment to celebrate a judge's Friday ruling striking down nearly all of a contentious state law championed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker that had effectively ended collective bargaining rights for most public workers. Walker's administration immediately vowed to appeal, while unions, which have vigorously fought the law, declared victory.
Teachers union leaders from three of Minnesota's largest school districts also organized a bus to Chicago for their members to show their support for their colleagues there.
The plan was for the bus to leave the Twin Cities about 4 a.m. Saturday, drive about seven hours, attend the rally and return home the same day, said Julie Blaha, president of the suburban Anoka-Hennepin School District's local of Education Minnesota, the state's largest teachers union. Blaha already had travelled to Chicago to assist her striking colleagues, "doing whatever they need us to do."
Members of the Boston Teachers Union were expected to make the trip on their own, said President Richard Stutman. The group already voted to send Chicago a token donation of money and took out an ad in the Chicago Sun-Times to express their support of striking teachers there.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has blasted the union for engaging in a "strike of choice," sounded optimistic Friday, saying "the tentative framework is an honest and principled compromise that is about who we all work for: the students."
The walkout in the nation's third-largest school district canceled five days of class for more than 350,000 public school students who had just returned from summer vacation.
Until this week, Chicago teachers had not walked out since 1987, when they were on strike for 19 days.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 1:14 pm on Sat, Sep 15, 2012.
THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD GO WE.
Thanks to the foresight of our Arizona Founding Fathers declaring Arizona as a "Right-to-Work" State in the Constitution or our Children would be out on the streets instead of in School right now.
There is no placating these ...."GIMME...GIMME.....GIMME"....UNIONIZED TEACHERS.
Every year these Socialist Wanna-Be's want more ...."SLOPS IN THE TROUGH".
Higher "cost-of-living" ...'AUTOMATIC"...not earned but........"AUTOMATIC" PAY RAISE ADJUSTMENTS.
NO ACCOUNTABILITY TO ........."ANYONE".
More....."VACATION TIME".....as if a ......3-MONTH VACATION EVERY SUMMER ISN'T ENOUGH...........Folks, how many of you get a ..."YEAR'S PAY"...for ...."9-MONTHS WORK"............HOW MANY OF YOU ....TAX-PAYERS (not "TAX-TAKERS).....get ....15 WEEKS OF VACATION ....on-top-of....2-3 WEEKS PAID VACATION.......and......and....."EVERY SINGLE HOLIDAY ON THE BOOKS.....ALL 11 OF THEM = OFF (no workie)".
UNLIKE MOST WORKERS IN AMERICA.....TEACHERS ONLY....ONLY WORK = DAY SHIFT..............NO SWING SHIFT...........NO GRAVE YARD....ASK YOURSELVES.............WHAT IN GOD'S NAME ARE THESE TEACHERS WHINNING ABOUT.........THEY HAVE THE BEST SHIFTS, THE BEST DAYS OFF OF ANY ...................WORKER IN AMERICA.............AND YET......LIKE TYPICAL ...DEMOCRATS........THEY WANT UNCLE SAM TO GIVE THEM....MORE....MORE....MORE.
ftbll21 posted at 4:53 pm on Sat, Sep 15, 2012.
Get your facts straight. Teacher's are not off 3 months in the summer. They get paid for the nine months they work and have the option to have it spread out 12 months. Teacher are required to take classes which comes out of their own pocket. Leon if you think it is so easy and such a cake job why don't you go get your degree and become a teacher. Boy I would like to see your first day in a classroom of 35, 12 year olds. ! A teacher with 25 years experience and a masters degree makes about 13 dollars an hour and that is contract time. My mom works very hard and most nights she does not get home tell 7 pm and leaves the house by 6 am. If it was not for teachers you would not be able to write your bull$h&%. Get a clue.
Tookie88 posted at 5:02 pm on Sat, Sep 15, 2012.
@Leon...Do you actually know any teachers? I am a teacher, I am not in favor of unions, I am a Republican, and I believe in capitalism and not socialism. Stop painting a broad brush about teachers.
My pay has been decreased by almost $10k since I started teaching 9 years ago. All of these budget cuts have put me just this side of qualifying for food stamps. I work (and most teachers I know) work 10+ hours each day, without breaks during the day...good luck getting a chance to go to the restroom or eat lunch. Many teachers I know work an additional job just to make ends meet and pay off student loans. Don't even get me started on the extra commitees we must serve on and not get paid for...all to make YOUR community a better place.
As for summer vacation, I haven't had one in I don't know how long. I (like most teachers) are stuck either teaching summer school or taking classes that we need to keep our teaching certificate. For the record, most of these classes are at our cost, not the tax payers, district, etc. Also, districts do not pay what your degree is worth. if you have a master's degree, you only make $1,200 more a year than someone with a BA degree. In any other field, you would be making a lot more than someone with just a BA degree.
Weekends and holidays...again, working more than I am enjoying time with my family. Lesson planning, grading, etc. It really makes me upset when people like you think a monkey can do our job. I invite you to teach my class for a month and then you can spout out anything you want...see what it is like and all the work that goes on behind the scenes before you start spouting off your view of teachers. It is far from an easy job and 90% of people cannot do it.
I don't know any lazy teachers in this state. I have never seen a more dedicated group of people in my life. the numbers show we are last in funding, but in the middle in regards of test scores. Guess what we could do if we had proper funding! I am not even talking about teacher's salaries (which is peanuts in this state), I am talking about the state valueing education and hiring more teachers so our classrooms aren't overflowing with 34+ students in 1st grade! Hire more aides who are trained to work with struggling students. Hire more teachers who specialize in working with gifted students.
Once parents stop treating school like free daycare and administration/states stop passing ridiculous laws that actually impare learning, edcuation will not improve. Until everyone truly values education and stop jumping on every education bandwagon (charter, voucher, standards changing every two years, etc), then it will not improve. STOP blaming teachers for the worlds woes! Parents, lawmakers, etc are just as, if not more, to blame!
Now you may ask why do you teach if all of this is such an issue. I teach, like other other teachers, because deep down I know my job matters to these kids and to the future of our country. Teaching is truly a calling and takes a special person to work like a dog for pennies and to give more to children who aren't related to you than you do your own family sometimes. Teacher's will spend thousands of dollars of their own moneyeach year for their students because they know their students need supplies that their parents can't/won't buy them.
As my final rant, many people think that they want engineers teaching their children math and authors teaching their child to read and write. This sounds great, but if these people are missing a certain component in their personality and understanding of children and learning, they are ineffective as teachers. I know many very intelligent engineers who are tops in their field, but would run out of a room screaming if they were locked in a room with 30 10th graders.
Parents, instead of nit-picking and sputing rhetoric like Leon does, go to your child's classroom and marvel at the many plates your child's teacher has to spin to keep the classroom moving along and students learning. Educate yourselves about teachers and all that they do for your kids.
loaning cash posted at 11:17 pm on Tue, Sep 18, 2012.
I really think that this is enough striking and it is time to give teachers the benefits that they want. Or at least discuss available options. It's not like they are striking because of good life. Everyone one ( teachers especially) deserve having summer rest every year. So what do you suggest them? Apply for cash advance in order to get some rest? I don't think it is a good idea