Monday, September 17, 2012

Whats behind the Chicage Teacher Strike? By Phoebe Aleman

 The complaint filed Monday seeks to compel teachers to return to work immediately. Representatives for the Chicago Teachers Union decided Sunday to continue their walkout, despite a tentative contract deal between union leaders and school officials.

"State law expressly prohibits the CTU from striking over non-economic issues, such as layoff and recall policies, teacher evaluations, class sizes and the length of the school day and year," the district said in a statement. "The CTU's repeated statements and recent advertising campaign have made clear that these are exactly the subjects over which the CTU is striking."

The strike also prevents "critical educational and social services, including meals for students who otherwise may not receive proper nutrition, a safe environment during school hours and critical services for students who have special needs," the district added.

The request seeks only a judge's order to force teachers back to work, the district said. It does not ask the judge to rule on the labor dispute itself.

The filing fulfilled Emanuel's vow Sunday night to seek court action to force teachers back to work.
The union responded to the filing Monday by saying it "appears to be a vindictive act instigated by the mayor."

"This attempt to thwart our democratic process is consistent with Mayor Emanuel's bullying behavior toward public school educators," the union said.

On Sunday, Emanuel called the union's decision to hold off on its vote "a delay of choice that is wrong for our children."

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