Chicago CPO threatened school closings, banned union reps from consulting with teachers....

[madfloridian]

in the effort to get their policies in place.

This is from an unfair practice complaint filed Friday by the teachers' union in Chicago with Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board.

From the Chicago Sun Times

The Chicago Teachers Union filed an unfair labor practice complaint to block schools from signing waivers and lengthening class days as a fifth school voted to extend its day. The union accused the governing board of the Chicago Public Schools of “coercing” union members at schools to sign the waivers, which allow them to opt out of the existing teachers contract.

“Asking our members to void parts of their own contract it is unethical and illegal,” union president Karen Lewis said today.

“We want them to cease and desist from its unlawful activity, restore our teachers’ rights, post appropriate notices of its intent to extend school hours and tell us how they intend to make the school day better for our children. We’ve asked them over and over to work with us, not against us.”

The complaint, filed with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, contends CPS: threatened to close schools if teachers did not approve contract modifications; interrogated teachers about their union activities; directed teachers to report their communications with the union; wrote and distributed the contract waiver; and banned union representatives from consulting with teachers before they were coerced into waiving parts of their labor contract.

This is the work of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and schools CEO J.C. Brizard. It is their plan into which they have put so much money and effort.

The media has been interpreting it as the fault of the teachers, and many have fallen for that.

What it is about is union busting.

It is about the disrespect and often contempt for teachers in the public schools, especially those who choose to belong to a union.

[Rex]

1. Is it corporate fascism yet or are we still waiting for the body to die?

I am ashamed of the way public education gets treated, yet if Perry gets into office we can all kiss the Dept. of Education goodbye! It is a nightmare of biblical proportions and not widely understood enough to make an impact nationally imo.

[madfloridian]

8. Unfortunately, the Dept of Ed is supporting such tactics.

In fact he was in Chicago recently and said rough things about schools he once led.

"Yesterday, Rahm brought his pal Arne Duncan back into town to stump for the more-seat-time plan. I gagged when I heard Duncan call Chicago's school day, a "disgrace" and a badge of shame." Duncan autocratically ran the schools here for seven years under the last mayor and with a compliant union leadership."

http://michaelklonsky.blogspot.com/2011/09/at-end-of-day.html

[Rex]

10. So if Perry gets into office, he can leave the same people in charge

as they happily dismantle education!!! It makes a grown man cry. :cry:

[madfloridian]

13. Just about the truth.

Yep, it's enough to make anyone cry. ;(

[marmar]

2. La Cosa Nostra would be envious of such shakedown tactics.

nt

[madfloridian]

5. Yes, they are shake-down tactics.

Seeing them used against public school teachers is shocking.

[Doctor_J]

3. We need some leaders with walking shoes

like Candidate Obama, circa 2008.

[madfloridian]

4. Here you go. Here are his shoes.

[Starry Messenger]

6. k&r

[madfloridian]

9. .....

and thank you for the education pirate picture. It is priceless.

[Rex]

11. +1

I second that, I smile everytime I see that pic.

[Starry Messenger]

29. =]

[madfloridian]

7. Union head says longer days fight is a distraction from more serious problems.

"The longer school day is a distraction from what's really going on in our schools, which is that we have an incoherent, ridiculous curriculum that people don't want to address. We have real problems, structural problems," Lewis said. "Because if we're doing the same thing and only doing it longer, all we're doing is torturing children."

.."Lewis said that when she met with Emanuel recently to clear the air, he told her he wanted the union to support longer days and a longer year. She said she accused the mayor of wanting to extend the day not to boost student performance but simply to warehouse and baby-sit children.

"He gets up and starts cursing at me, yelling at me, being very disrespectful," Lewis said. "So I jumped up, too.

"With Rahm, it is all about ideology. He's making a political point. This isn't about education."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/education/ct-met-karen-lewis-teachers-union-0911-20110911,0,7016662,full.story

[Chisox08]

14. I would have loved to have been in that room

Knowing my high school Chemistry teacher, Rahm had a few choice words shot back at him. Rahm is on a union busting mission. Not only is the CTU against the longer school day, the crossing guards union is against it. The crossing guards are against it because ending the school day an 90 min. later poses a safety issue not only for the guards but the students. Adding the 90 min. ends the school day at the start of rush hour.

What will that extra time be for? When Rahm talks about that extra time all he talks about is recess and test scores. What benefit is it to students to have the test shoved down their throats for an extra hour everyday.

Now back to the safety issue. The crossing guards are saying that this puts them and students at risk. Too many guards killed putting children across as it is and to put them out their during rush our makes their jobs even more dangerous than it is now. This also put kids who take public transportation to and from school at greater risk especially in the winter months. Students were shot, kidnapped and killed at bus stop in broad daylight what do you think will happen to them later in the day?

This is not about education. It is about Rahm crushing public unions. He made it clear to the crossing guards that he would replace them with police officers. Who in turn told Rahm that he can go fuck himself. He is taking revenge on the public employee's unions because they actively campaigned against him.

[madfloridian]

15. You are right. It is about power.

Power over unions and also putting teachers in a difficult place. Making them sound like they are the only ones to blame.

[sulphurdunn]

23. Rahm Emaunel

and Arne Duncan are just two of Obama's many simulacra. You can tell a lot about people from the company they keep.

[former9thward]

12. Shouldn't be surprising. Emanuel used the F word on Lewis in a meeting.

He said "F____ you, Lewis". (Chicago Teachers Union President) http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/7558652-418/teachers-union-president-rahm-exploded-at-me.html

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

16. That little Joe Pesci shtick of his is gonna get him popped in the mouth one of these days. nt

[madfloridian]

18. That made me smile. He does have a Joe Pesci attitude.

:)

Never thought of that.

[EFerrari]

17. Not surprising. Rahm is a scumbag. Poor Chicago.

[Jakes Progress]

19. Unless Obama can repudiate the actions

of rahm and arne in their union busting attempts, I know many teacher who cannot bring themselves to vote for Obama. Go ahead and flame away at these dedicated and tireless workers, everyone of which worked hundreds of hours with me during the last election to elect Obama. Just ask yourself if there isn't some issue, some principle that means that much to you. How about if the president backed repeal of Roe/Wade? Or favored outlawing gay sex? Isn't there something you believe in other than just winning.

They came for the teachers and the unions first. When they come for you, who will you look to for support? The unions knew what solidarity meant and knew that the way they work is to divide and conquer. rahm is about division. If our president is not, then he needs to do something. Vague words that don't change things won't do it.

[madfloridian]

20. I think that no one is paying attention to the anger and frustration of the teachers.

And I think there will be an awakening.

[Jakes Progress]

25. Actually, I think they are ignoring it.

They can't acknowledge it without having to give up the lies and pretty pictures. That or just go ahead and admit that the neocon dream appeals to them.

[truedelphi]

31. Who in the world knows what our President is about?

During his recent speech, he basically complained about the elected Democrats in Congress, as he feels that they won't help him bring about Republican policies.

He seems to be all for the Georgia unpaid workers program, where you need to work, paycheck free, in return for unemployment benefits.

I guess we can give him kudos for advancements in gay rights, but embracing a return to slavery seems a heavy price to pay for those gay rights. (People who couldn't serve in the military now can do so, but if they ever work at a job and end up unemployed, they have to be slaves to get their unemployment.)

One step forward, two steps back.

[LooseWilly]

21. I guess Rahm means to take advantage of this crisis... if he has to manufacture the crisis himself.

So much for the Maddow theory that Democrats might recognize that they have an opportunity to rally labor/unions behind them.

The party should be embarrassed...

[madfloridian]

22. They will rally other unions but not teachers.

Unions don't fit their plans for education "reform".

[Jakes Progress]

26. It's just the first union they will take down.

Others are on the list. But they divide and conquer. If we didn't have a Democratic administration doing this, if it had been a republican who tried this, the party would be behind the teachers and other unions would stand with them in solidarity. The neocons have picked their target and their lead man to begin their conquest of all labor organizations. it is unfortunately working.

[WinkyDink]

24. Another Republican wearing the mantle of "Democrat."

[tropicanarose]

27. I am with Karen Lewis on this one. I am a Chicagoan. She is right that the longer days are only rop

an effort to use teachers as babysitters rather than educators...I am all for more enrichment programs, extracurricular activities for children and the after school program that was started by Maggie Daley (former Mayor Daley's wife) to help disadvantaged kids get involved in various sports and cultural endeavors, but honestly, this is an attempt of Rahm to oversimplify some big, big issues and put it on the shoulders of teachers who are already underpaid and overburdened.

[madfloridian]

28. I am with her as well because I support unions.

Soon there will be no teachers joining unions because of the harassment.

Nothing wrong with longer days, but they will not solve any problems.

[tropicanarose]

30. I am a staunch supporter of unions too, Madfloridian. I haven't read studies rop

about the longer school days and the effect on children's learning and test scores. Many have said that for the US to be competitive that we are going to have to have a longer school year and perhaps a longer school day too. I was glad to see Karen Lewis go toe to toe with Rahm. She is a fighter and is unrelenting in her commitment to the educators that she represents.
Your comment about teachers not joining unions because of harrasment is an eye opener and probably very true.....we can't let that happen though.

[madfloridian]

32. Yes, she appears to be a fighter.

It's been hard for years to get new teachers to join the union, they say it costs too much. But when we negotiated salaries, sick leave, and insurance...they were more than willing to accept the fruits of union labor.

Yeh, I do worry that that attacks on unions will kill membership. And I am especially angry that Rahm is so eager to attack them.

[Jakes Progress]

33. Had dinner with a couple last night.

He said that his father had been a union worker, but said that his dad always complained about the union calling for strikes and stuff. Said he would work anyway, especially when it wasn't the strike was to support another union. I asked him if his dad took the benefits and pay raises that the union got for him. "Sure, he did. He wasn't a fool". I suggested that was more than a little shitty, but I didn't break up the dinner for eight by telling his father was a lying, scumbag, scab who had no honor and no brains. I should have, but I didn't.

That is what we have now. Three decades of union bashing and lies have convinced a generation that unions don't really help them. They have a sense of being out only for themselves, but being so stupid that they don't know that solidarity is the only power they have. Obama's roots as a reagan democrat have shown more surely in his appointment and support of turds like rahm and arne. We get some campaign rhetoric from him now that his handlers have told him he might want some union votes, but his guts are with the neocons on this one. The teachers are just the first union to get the reagan flight controllers treatment. When he wins, other unions will get hit. I'm pretty sure that public workers will get it next.