Institute Experts on the Chicago Teachers Union Strike A meditation on the Chicago Way The CTU strike has ended and a lot of people are asking: “what happened?” Five things you need to know about Chicago Public Schools Five critical facts to keep in mind during the CTU strike. Cheat Sheet: Chicago Public Schools A...

There is room to debate who won the battle between Chicago and its striking teachers union but there is little disagreement the strike and the deal approved by union members on Tuesday mark a personal loss for Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

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...

The spectacle of government union members booing the best friend they ever had off the stage Wednesday at the Illinois State Fair made for entertaining video. Gov. Quinn may not have liked the boos, but he certainly understands his starring role in this fiction of a drama. Here’s the truth: the pension proposals under consideration in Springfield...

The City of Chicago recently released its Annual Financial Analysis 2012: 85 pages detailing the city’s awkward financial position. There are two sections worth highlighting. The first deal with public employees in general, the second has to do with pensions. The city’s workforce is getting small but more expensive: dropping from almost 42,400 full-time-equivalent positions in...