Some 25,000 of Chicago public school teachers initiated a strike on Monday, after the most recent contract discussion collapsed Sunday without a deal. Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis asserted yesterday that there had been progress, but “we have failed to reach an agreement that will prevent a labor strike.”
Apparently, earning higher than the average white collar worker is not enough:
The city’s public school teachers make an average of $71,000 a year. Both sides said they were close to an agreement on wages. What apparently remains are issues involving teacher performance and accountability, which the union saw as a threat to job security.
Late Sunday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has already forced teachers to lengthen their school days, said he was “disappointed” in the union’s decision to continue with a strike.
“I am disappointed that we have come to this point, given that even all the other parties acknowledge how close we are because this is a strike of choice,” Emanuel said. “Because of how close we are, it is a strike that is unnecessary.”
As much as I despise Emanuel, I’ll give him nod on this one. As a politician, going against tens of thousands of vicious union teachers takes serious cojones.
This pisses me off. It’s apparent, these teachers don’t do the job for the kids. They’re bitching about $70,000 a year not being high enough pay. And then at the same time, they bitch when their private-sector counterparts make more than $60,000.
What a disgrace.
