# Chicago Teachers Union threatening a strike **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 4, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425 "2015-12-04T17:10:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/21 "2015-12-06T23:42:44Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > The CTU has been sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong. They endorsed the anarchist Black Friday protest last week and now they’re calling for a civilian oversight board to monitor the police force. No, she supported the Black Friday protest for [Laquan MacDonald](http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/1133009/teachers-union-leader-joins-friday-march-urges-members-attend). The ‘anarchist’ one must have been held down the street. > [@](#): > > It’s no secret that Karen Lewis has her eye on the mayor’s office and she certainly would have run this year if not for health problems. Instead , she backed a hapless puppet, Chuy Garcia, who was resoundingly defeated by Rahm Emannuel. Chuy Garcia was defeated by only 11.4% it’s clear but that’s the closest mayoral election loss [in 32 years](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_mayoral_election,_1983). Rahm has four more years to redeem himself, but the latest police violence/cover-up/scandal hasn’t exactly ingratiated him with the public. ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2015, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/22 "2015-12-07T00:05:37Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > The fact that this thread has turned into a discussion about police oversight instead of schools is why the union shouldn’t be involved in issues outside its mission. The relationship is pretty close, though. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) pays [millions of dollars per year to the Chicago PD](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-cps-police-emanuel-money-20151115-story.html) for a program that puts police officers in schools. Furthermore, $58 million was just moved from CPS to cover police expenses: > [@](#): > > CPS committed to transferring the $58 million as the district was rescinding teacher pay raises, laid off workers and cut its budget. Jesse Sharkey, the Chicago Teachers Union vice president, said the school system never should have been paying for police services. > > “It’s about time they admitted that,” Sharkey said. “Taking that off the schools budget is a good place to start.” Oh, and where those expenses were incurred is unclear: > [@](#): > > But what specifically the district was paying for remains unclear. The payments were made for services provided when there was no formal contract in place. Still, Jadine Chou, the school district’s chief safety and security officer, told the Tribune that CPS had to make good on bills it owed the police department. > > “There were invoices prior to that totaling up to $57 million,” Chou said. “That doesn’t mean that those expenses all were incurred in one school year. … But those payments would’ve been, again, for invoices prior to that time period.” > > The Tribune filed an open records request with the school district on July 31 for the invoices and other records. CPS acknowledged receiving the request but has not provided any records. > > When asked why the district owed the lump sums to the police department to begin with, Chou responded, “I couldn’t explain that.” So, the Chicago Teacher’s Union having a police policy is reasonable: police are in their schools, interacting with the students, and siphoning away CPS funds. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/23 "2015-12-08T18:46:57Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > No, she supported the Black Friday protest for [Laquan MacDonald](http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/1133009/teachers-union-leader-joins-friday-march-urges-members-attend). The ‘anarchist’ one must have been held down the street.Chuy Garcia was defeated by only 11.4% it’s clear but that’s the closest mayoral election loss [in 32 years](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_mayoral_election,_1983). Rahm has four more years to redeem himself, but the latest police violence/cover-up/scandal hasn’t exactly ingratiated him with the public. There was nothing but pure anarchy displayed by the Black Friday mob. Karen Lewis’ refusal to condemn the trespassers makes her unfit to run a union in the public eye. She’s more concerned with being a social justice warrior. The strike vote begins tomorrow and runs until Friday. The only acceptable outcome is an overwhelming no strike majority. Hopefully followed by Lewis’ resignation. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/24 "2015-12-08T18:52:10Z")
Acceptable to who? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/25 "2015-12-08T19:11:02Z")
My, my. Politics of the bare-knuckle kind in Chicago. Who would have guessed? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/26 "2015-12-08T19:23:22Z")
I just read the latest teachers union bulletin. It’s much worse than I thought. [http://www.ctunet.com/blog/text/Contract\_Bulletin\_09.pdf](http://www.ctunet.com/blog/text/Contract_Bulletin_09.pdf) Some of the lowlights: 50 community schools with anti-violence and social emotional interventions? A restorative justice coordinator and social workers? How about math and science teachers? The anti violence program should be detention, suspension, and expulsion. Serious offenses can be handled by law enforcement. Prosecute Bank of America? How about laying off the Bernie Sanders crack pipe and get back to teaching. Elected school board? Trying the FDR court packing plan? Hell no to an elected school board. The mayor picks the school board members. Too bad the CTU’s puppet got trounced in the election. A LaSalle street tax (financial transaction tax)?? Obviously economics isn’t taught at Chicago Public Schools. Of course, this is the same union that supported blockading innocent businesses on Black Friday. This union needs new leadership and to get back to teaching. Lay off the social crusading and focus the union on fair pay and benefits for teachers. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/27 "2015-12-08T19:25:40Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I’m also not sure that $15 per hour is unreasonable in a giant city like Chicago where the cost of living is very high. Chicago is not expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/28 "2015-12-08T19:25:58Z")
Relative to other megacities? Perhaps not. But relative to the rest of the US (except Alaska, weirdly), it [certainly](http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html) is. > [@](#): > > Prosecute Bank of America? How about laying off the Bernie Sanders crack pipe and get back to teaching. Okay, demanding that the Chicago School Board prosecute BOA is pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/29 "2015-12-08T19:28:14Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Okay, demanding that the Chicago School Board prosecute BOA is pretty funny. yes, but the rest of it sounds okay to me. Most places elect their school boards, why not Chicago? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/30 "2015-12-08T19:34:08Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > yes, but the rest of it sounds okay to me. > > Most places elect their school boards, why not Chicago? Elected school boards are an awful idea, especially if they’re held outside of general elections. Far too easy for teachers union stooges or religious fanatics to get elected in low turnout off year elections. There are way too many minor offices on the ballot anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/31 "2015-12-08T19:37:19Z")
In theory, an elected school board makes for better accountability. In practice, nobody pays attention except the religious kooks and the teachers’ unions so I agree with **dale** on that point. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/32 "2015-12-08T23:32:57Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Elected school board? Trying the FDR court packing plan? Hell no to an elected school board. The mayor picks the school board members. Too bad the CTU’s puppet got trounced in the election. You’re coming out against democracy now? Simply because you think you wouldn’t like the outcome? Wow. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/33 "2015-12-08T23:34:17Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > In theory, an elected school board makes for better accountability. In practice, nobody pays attention except the religious kooks and the teachers’ unions so I agree with **dale** on that point. You could say that about any election though. You can’t just get rid of elections based on “I don’t like how they turn out” or “People don’t participate in a way I like.” If people don’t pay attention, that’s their choice, not yours. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/34 "2015-12-08T23:35:18Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Elected school boards are an awful idea, especially if they’re held outside of general elections. Far too easy for teachers union stooges or religious fanatics to get elected in low turnout off year elections. There are way too many minor offices on the ballot anyway. How DARE people elect the candidates of their choice! You people scare me with your open derision of democracy. You don’t get to just say we shouldn’t have elections because you don’t like who wins! ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/35 "2015-12-09T02:36:25Z")
I don’t think we need to vote on every single office. We don’t get to vote for the US Supreme Court. When I vote for President, I trust that person to make good Supreme Court appointees. When I vote for Mayor of Chicago, I trust the person to make good school board appointees. An elected school board wouldn’t be a CTU priority if their puppet would have won the mayor’s election. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/36 "2015-12-09T05:08:49Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > How DARE people elect the candidates of their choice! > > You people scare me with your open derision of democracy. You don’t get to just say we shouldn’t have elections because you don’t like who wins! No, he has a point. School board elections very typically have miserable turnout. The only people who really care are those with an axe to grind, and we really don’t need those people determining our children’s education. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/37 "2015-12-09T06:36:18Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > No, he has a point. School board elections very typically have miserable turnout. The only people who really care are those with an axe to grind, and we really don’t need those people determining our children’s education. The position attracts ideological people, not the means of installing them in the office. Your point is noted, but the fact the voters might be apathetic doesn’t mean a position should be determined by executive fiat rather than the democratic process. One isn’t inherently better than the other. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/38 "2015-12-09T06:47:44Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > An elected school board wouldn’t be a CTU priority if their puppet would have won the mayor’s election. And if their guy had won, you’d be apoplectic that the pro-Union mayor installed a pro-CTU school board. You can’t have it both ways. Even if your ire is merely based on the fact that their demands are self serving, then you clearly have no idea of what a union is supposed to do. They are paid to advocate for the members. I don’t get why some conservatives don’t seem to get this basic fact. They get all annoyed when some union doesn’t put someone else’s interests above their own. Unions don’t work for the kids, they don’t serve the state, and they don’t work for the public. That’s literally not their job. It would be like hiring a lawyer, and the lawyer deciding to throw the case because she thinks you might be guilty. You hire a lawyer to zealously defend you and your interests. Unions should do the same for their members. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/39 "2015-12-09T07:05:37Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Prosecute Bank of America? How about laying off the Bernie Sanders crack pipe and get back to teaching. Unsurprisingly, you posted a bunch of nonsense without even a basic grasp of the facts. Now, I am sure many people saw the BoA think and just assumed it was some weird non sequitur. However, I think most people who felt the need to voice a strong opinion on the matter would have done even a basic Google search to get some context. Just a piece of advice to you: almost no mainstream individual or organization rises to a level of prominence if they are completely irrational or insane. With the exception of maybe Donald Trump, almost everyone of both sides of the aisle is a somewhat rational actor. Did you really think the CTU just decided to target one of the largest banks in the world randomly? No, it’s because a series of complicated trades led to BoA and other banks charging the city penalties which resulted in CPS having their budget slashed by a couple hundred million dollars or so. See link below: > **[Why a Bank of America Boycott Is Necessary - Chicago Teachers Union](https://www.ctulocal1.org/posts/why-a-bank-of-america-boycott-is-necessary/)** > > Like other big banks, the history of Bank of America (BofA) has documented ties to slavery. Several of their predecessor banks had ties to slave-owners, even accepting slaves as loan collateral.\[1\] But what joins the history of big banks like BofA to... The CTU very well maybe wrong and/or poorly run, but please stop insinuating that they are evil incarnate. It’s bad enough you can’t even be bothered to cease equating protests to anarchy, but you don’t need to compound your display of ignorance and belligerence by misrepresenting the facts. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425/40 "2015-12-09T12:54:12Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > Unsurprisingly, you posted a bunch of nonsense without even a basic grasp of the facts. Now, I am sure many people saw the BoA think and just assumed it was some weird non sequitur. However, I think most people who felt the need to voice a strong opinion on the matter would have done even a basic Google search to get some context. Just a piece of advice to you: almost no mainstream individual or organization rises to a level of prominence if they are completely irrational or insane. With the exception of maybe Donald Trump, almost everyone of both sides of the aisle is a somewhat rational actor. Did you really think the CTU just decided to target one of the largest banks in the world randomly? No, it’s because a series of complicated trades led to BoA and other banks charging the city penalties which resulted in CPS having their budget slashed by a couple hundred million dollars or so. See link below: > > [Why a Bank of America Boycott Is Necessary - Chicago Teachers Union](http://ajustchicago.org/2015/08/why-a-bank-of-america-boycott-is-necessary/) > > The CTU very well maybe wrong and/or poorly run, but please stop insinuating that they are evil incarnate. It’s bad enough you can’t even be bothered to cease equating protests to anarchy, but you don’t need to compound your display of ignorance and belligerence by misrepresenting the facts. I work in the financial markets. The so-called toxic swaps simply reflect risk vs reward. Obviously, bashing big banks has populist appeal. I think describing the Black Friday debacle as anarchy is appropriate. Trespassers blockading innocent businesses because of a knife wielding teen strung out on PCP? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-teachers-union-threatening-a-strike/739425.md?page=3)