HOD Sept.

Chicago Teachers Union Exasperated with Teachers

By Jim Vail

CTU VP Gates & President Sharkey are a little perplexed why
some teachers want to go into the schools to teach.

And after all we have done for you ...

CTU officers expressed some exasperation with teachers after they had fought all summer for the teachers and students' safety to not have to go back to schools and instead be safe from the coronavirus by engaging in remote lessons at home.

"They don't value you so don't go in," CTU VP Stacy Davis Gates told teacher delegates at the first House of Delegates meeting Wednesday, Sept. 9, that was also held remotely. "I've gotten too many emails asking for flexibility to go back into the schools."

Gates said that the labor unions have been the ones to keep workers safe during this pandemic that has taken almost 200,000 lives in this country. She also said parents overwhelmingly did not want their children to return to the schools with the virus still raging.

Some suburban public schools are back in session, and a few have seen outbreaks of the virus. In the Glenview public school district parents were teacher bashing at a school board meeting saying that if regular workers have to go back to work, then so should teachers. The teachers there go to school to teach social emotional learning for about an hour each week and the rest of the time at home online. 

Gates noted that half a million children have been infected with the virus in this country. She also said the Chicago Public Schools and the mayor who runs them are still sore with the CTU after the teacher strike last year.

CTU President Jesse Sharkey said that teachers are lucky we negotiated a five year contract with raises during an economic crisis in which the city said it has a $1.2 billion deficit. He said the mayor would love to reopen the teachers contract and rescind raises, force furloughs and cut pay further. He said note that the mayor wants workers and unions to make concessions, but has not asked the wealthy Lincoln Yards TIF developers to give back the $1.5 billion they are taking from taxpayers, nor tax the billionaire traders.

Sharkey said the board will not negotiate over the length of the remote learning day, but they will negotiate with the union over other issues.

Political adviser Kurt Hilgendorf told delegates to make sure they order their ballots in the mail and vote for the Fair Tax amendment that will tax the rich and thus adequately fund the state's pensions, health care and schools. Illinois currently has a flat tax which taxes the rich at the same rate as the rest of the workers.

He polled the delegates about who would vote to remove President Trump from office, and with about 75% voting, 95% would vote against Trump and 5% would vote for him. About a third of delegates polled would volunteer to help make sure the Fair Tax is passed.

CTU ACTS chairman Chris Baehrend said they have been working to make sure teachers do not return to the buildings to teach and instead work remotely like their public school counterparts. He noted that his old Latino Youth Charter High School in Little Village wanted its teachers to go back to school and all 12 refused to go back into the building. 

Sharkey said the idea that there is synchronous vs. asynchronous time is a misnomer because teachers still have to be with the kids the whole time.