Proposed CTU Resolution

Resolution in Support of Striking Members of Washington Educators Association

Editors Note:  This is a draft resolution to be presented to the Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates this Wednesday to be discussed and voted on to support the teachers striking in Washington.

Whereas: Washington State is carrying out a policy of starving its public schools – a policy

Chicago teachers experience here in Illinois pushed by both Democrats and Republicans. And

Whereas: Washington teachers have fought to improve their working conditions, including a winning statewide ballot initiative to lower class sizes in the state and to retain reasonable salaries and

Whereas: the Washington political apparatus, dominated, as here in Illinois, by Democrats, has refused to adequately fund public education, crying poor, including defying the aforementioned ballot initiative and

Whereas: as here in Illinois, Washington’s  “crying poor” is a bald-faced lie – evidenced by the fact that the same politicians handed 8.7 billion dollars in handouts to Boeing Corporation, one of the wealthiest in the world two years ago, and

Whereas: Washington legislatures are recommending to grant themselves substantial raises at considerable public expense, again while crying broke and  

Whereas: Washington teachers have decided to wage a struggle, with an ongoing series of one day strikes by 24 school districts in the state planned so far and a demonstration in the capital, Olympia, in order to bring attention to the issue, these actions being decided by near-unanimous votes of local memberships and

Whereas: to date, our sisters and brothers in 24 districts to have struck, despite absence of a

Legally protected right to do so,   

Whereas: Chicago teachers, recognizing our own need to fight, must extend solidarity and support to all other teachers and working people who fight against austerity attacks carried out by the government or their employers,

Therefore be it Resolved that:

The Chicago Teachers Union stands in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in struggle in Washington and

The Chicago Teachers Union will publicize its solidarity with the aims and struggle of Washington, by all means available to it and

The Chicago Teachers Union will offer any moral, political or 

technical support that our sisters and brothers in Washington may 

request.