by Paul Kersey
Director of Labor Policy

On Labor Day, the Chicago Teachers Union held its protest in preparation for a strike that is set to begin on Sept. 10, unless negotiations with Chicago Public Schools result in a contract.The protest served two functions: first, as a sort of threat display designed to demonstrate to CPS officials and Mayor Rahm Emanuel that CTU is ready to sustain a lengthy strike; and second, to reinforce the union’s message among its rank-and-file membership

While it would be a mistake to assume that what was on display at Daley Plaza reflected the opinions of all teachers in the Chicago district, it was interesting to observe the crowd that was attracted to the union’s rally.

Government employee unions have a clear ideological agenda, and there is a lot of overlap between their worldview and that of the “Occupy Wall Street” protestors:

For those of us who don’t speak Spanish, the sign reads “We are the 99%."

The rally was a magnet for a wide range of radical and Marxist groups.

This fellow was hawking copies of “Socialist Action.”

Meanwhile, another passed out the “Worker’s Vanguard.”

There was also the “People’s Tribune.”

Now, for the most part the CTU controlled the message at the event.  Most of the signs and buttons were printed beforehand.

I sincerely doubt these children made the signs they were carrying.

…though I wish my teachers shared CTU’s attitudes toward testing:

Folks in the rally also appeared to use the event as an opportunity to oppose CPS’ … foreign policy?

While the crowd of approximately 18,000 supposed CTU supporters was impressive, not all of them were teachers.UNITE HERE, which represents workers throughout the U.S. and Canada who work in the hotel, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, distribution, laundry, and airport industries had a contingent.

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) whose slogan is "we make America happen" was at the rally. I wonder if they built that? 

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) hard at work...

There seemed to be some confusion about what was at stake.  For one thing, unlike Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Chicago’s Mayor Emanuel has shown no interest in changing the bargaining process itself.

And the truth is: CTU is bargaining to water down teacher evaluations, which goes way beyond wages.

There’s no denying the bargaining system is counterproductive though…

Will there be a strike?  Will the next contract improve teaching in Chicago schools?  Still too early to say, but this cannot be a good omen.