Largest Chicago Teachers Union Meeting of the Century Votes Unanimously to Strike

[HiPointDem]

The largest meeting of the Chicago Teachers Union of the 21st Century (and perhaps in history) voted unanimously on August 30, 2012, to strike Chicago's public schools unless an acceptable contract is reached during the current negotiations by September 10, 2012.

The vote to strike was taken on a motion from the union's Executive Board during the huge meeting, which took place at the Operating Engineers union hall on Chicago's South Side after school on August 30. All Chicago public schools teachers are now at work, with the 241 so-called "Track E" ("year round&quot schools in full session with their students, and the remainder of the schools holding daily "PD" (professional development) days.

The House of Delegates, which has been growing in size as the union rebuilt itself since the election of President Karen Lewis and the CORE slate in June 2010, now has more than 800 members, at least one representing every public school in Chicago, with others representing citywide and PSRP groups.

The unanimous vote took place following the introduction of the resolution by President Lewis and dozens of speakers in favor of it. When the chair called for the "Yes" votes the hall thundered. When the call came for the "No" votes there was not a sound. After a warning that union teachers should not trust the corporate media to report the news ("the only way you will know the facts is from the union" Lewis stated) the delegates and other union members (there were more than 100 "visitors" — union members who are not elected delegates and a handful of children of delegates) steamed out of the large hall and into the sunshine to pick up picket signs and lawn signs in the final preparations for the first CTU strike in a quarter century.

http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?page=3547&section=Article

[msongs]

1. fighting back against the democratic party and repub union killers. better to go down fighting nt

[MichiganVote]

2. Solidarity

[mbperrin]

3. Good for them. And BRAVE.

A real union.

[AnneD]

4. In solidarity ....

Of fellow educator. Heaven knows they won't get support from the Dems, what with Rham and forget the GOP.