Chicago

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...

“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...

Scenes from Chicago Teachers Union rally in Daley Plaza

By Paul Kersey
09/06/2012
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...

Facts are stubborn things

By Benjamin VanMetre
09/05/2012
During Gov. Quinn’s DNC address, he invoked John Adams’ famous line, “facts are stubborn things.” Quinn presented his facts about President Obama’s track record. Quinn presented his facts about Governor Romney’s track record. And Quinn presented his facts about Congressman Ryan’s track record. There was one track record that Quinn failed to mention. His own....

Chicago Teachers Union is all worked up with nowhere to go

By Paul Kersey
09/04/2012
As thousands of families throughout Chicago watched anxiously, the process of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement turned melodramatic at a Chicago Teachers Union Labor Day rally. CTU President Karen Lewis called Mayor Rahm Emanuel “a liar and a bully”, while teachers and representatives of several other unions chanted “enough is enough” and other slogans intended...