Chicago Teachers Union

Chicago public school teachers are overpaid

By Chris Andriesen
09/11/2012
by Lawrence J. McQuillan, PhD  Chief Economist The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is on strike to get, among other things, more pay. They originally asked for a 30 percent pay raise. The current offer on the table is a 16 percent pay hike over four years. They don’t deserve a penny increase. In fact, they deserve a...

John Tillman’s statement regarding Chicago Teachers Union strike

09/10/2012
Now that Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis has announced that CTU will strike Monday morning, it is very clear: Children are not the top priority for teachers who belong to the Chicago Teachers Union. The two things that matter most to these teachers are money and avoiding accountability for poor performance. Lewis and the...

Chicago Teachers Union: Unknown Unknowns

By Paul Kersey
09/10/2012
Believe it or not, late Friday afternoon the scuttlebutt was that the Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Teachers Union were close to agreeing on a contract.  Progress was the word of the day well into Sunday.  And we all know how all that turned out. Rumors, about how close the sides are to reaching an...

Two inconvenient facts for CTU: More pay, fewer hours

By Ted Dabrowski
09/10/2012
Many facts are important to understanding the strike and the demands of the Chicago Teachers Union. Here are just two of them: 1. Chicago teachers are already the highest paid in the nation when compared to the 10 largest school districts in the country, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality. The salary data below cuts...

Union demands ignore extent of Chicago’s pension crisis

By Jonathan Ingram
09/10/2012
So, the Chicago Teachers Union is on strike. You may remember that they were demanding a 30 percent raise earlier this year and that they rejected a package that included a 16 percent raise. The union’s demands would spike the average teacher’s salary to nearly six-figures, and that’s before you tally up the generous benefits they get on...

Charter secrets the CTU hopes you won’t find out

By Ted Dabrowski
09/10/2012
There’s a big reason why the Chicago Teachers Union fears charter schools. Charters will expose truths the CTU hoped would never be revealed. Charter schools in Chicago are already showing strong results in learning. Looking at the average ACT score, for example, you will see that last year, nine of the top 10 open-enrollment, non-selective high schools...

Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) strike bulletin: Recommended strike chants

By Chris Andriesen
09/10/2012
Strike chants pulled directly from Chicago Teachers Union’s strike bulletin issued on Sept. 8, 2012. What’s outrageous? unpaid wages! What’s disgusting? Union busting! Rahm, Brizard, we’re no fools! We won’t let you ruin our schools! Rahm, Brizard, we’re no fools! Corporate cash can’t buy our schools! Lies and tricks will not divide, Parents and Teachers side by...

“We are Democrats”

By Paul Kersey
09/07/2012
This will hardly come as news to most readers of this blog, but an occasional reminder is still useful: the ties between unions and the Democratic Party are numerous and strong. That goes for the Chicago Teachers Union and the administration with which they are bargaining. As Randi Weingarten, the head of the CTU’s parent...
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Pathway to a Profession: How Apprenticeships Could Reshape Illinois’ Beauty Service Industry

Occupational licensing requirements present one of the steepest barriers to low-income Illinoisans starting careers in beauty services. Illinois requires anyone seeking to become a barber, cosmetologist, nail technician or hair braider to obtain a state license, essentially a permission slip to work. Unlike 45 other states, Illinois offers only one pathway to licensure for each...

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Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

By Paul Kersey
06/19/2014

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016