Chicago Teachers Union Rejects District’s Call for 7% Pay Cut, Files Unfair Labor Practice

[marmar]

(In These Times) The Chicago Teachers Union announced Wednesday evening it would be filing an unfair labor practice charge against the Chicago Board of Education, the latest development in tense negotiations to form a new contract before the current one expires on June 30th.

The suit alleges that the board has bargained in bad faith by refusing coming to agreement on anything but minor technical issues in the six months of both formal and informal meetings, and has put forward proposals the CTU considers extreme.

One particular board demand that angered the union was a proposal that union members pay the pension contributions currently paid by CPS, which the union says would amount to a 7 percent pay cut.

“We are insulted by the refusal to extend the contract with a 3 percent raise. We are beyond insulted by the board’s proposal to decrease our pay by 7 percent. And the board has rejected our education-based programs,” said CTU President Karen Lewis during a press conference. “We are organizing and we will show our displeasure. We feel that this is reactionary and retaliatory. CPS is broke on purpose.” ................(more)

http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/17914/chicago_teachers_union_balks_at_demand_for_7_percent_pay_cut

[Lee-Lee]

1. I hope they can stand fast and firm

It's bad enough to be offered no cost of living increases. A 7% cut where there should have been a 3% raise is effectively a 10% cut.

If they buckle now, that's it- the city will walk all over them from now on.

[Snarkoleptic]

2. Rahm and Gov. Rauner (Ruiner) are waging a full-scale assault on labor in Illinois.

The Illinois Supreme Court just rejected Rauner's "pension reform", now he's trying to establish "right to work" enterprise zones.
He's also trying to marginalize unions by trying to halt union dues payments to non-union members who benefit directly from collective bargaining agreements.
It's a major bummer that Ruiner was elected without ever having held public office, and did so by spending around $27MM of his own money to buy the election.

[HelenWheels]

3. Wisconsin treatment

Looks like Illinois is pulling a Wisconsin treatment ala Walker. And what the hell is wrong with Rahm?

[sulphurdunn]

4. The game plan goes like this:

The stupid people (who are always a majority anymore) elect state politicians who hate public education, pass onerous legislation to harm it, cut taxes, plead poverty and then cut education spending. Then, the same stupid people elect the same kind of local assholes, who refuse to raise revenue to cover state spending cuts and then divert school spending to corporate development that is not taxed to create jobs that don't pay a living wage and complain about "greedy teachers" because they barely do. The crux of the problem is too many stupid people voting their fears, their avarice and their prejudices. It ain't complicated.

[mountain grammy]

5. That's pretty much it in a nutshell.. no, it ain't complicated.