Making+the+Case+for+Teachers'+Right+to+Strike

= A teacher's view of a gathering storm =

= By James Mullane = =Published in the Chicago Tribune= = 7/7/11 =

=After discussing feudalism with my class one day, an inquisitive fifth-grader asked me: "What kind of government do we have?" I told him that we have a democracy, and then I explained how it works.= =The [|Illinois] Legislature has passed a law that says the [|Chicago] Teachers [|Union] needs 75 percent of its members to vote in support of a strike. Of the 869 school districts in Illinois, 868 need only a majority vote to strike. If this is not blatant union busting then we should get rid of all federal laws protecting labor's collective bargaining rights because they are apparently worthless.= =Ultimately, a union worker has only one weapon in his fight for decent working conditions and that is the right to strike. Take that away and he is completely at the mercy of his employer.= =Yes, these are tough economic times. Nevertheless, those times when workers could not unionize and had no power to strike were much tougher. Back then, one was paid just enough to ensure that one would keep coming to work. Workers were treated as mules in motion, and one feeds mules only what is required to keep them in motion. It is not because of the kindness of the powers that be that the workers' lot improved over the years and a middle class developed. Nearly all improvements in the employment conditions of this nation's workers (be they members of a union or not) were dearly fought for by labor unions.= =I hope CPS teachers do not have to strike. Teachers care dearly about their students' welfare and they demonstrate it every day with little or no recognition.= =Claims by Mayor [|Rahm Emanuel] and his Board of Education that they only want what's best for the children are pious platitudes. If the powers that be really want what's best for the children, they would treat teachers fairly.= =I want my union and the Board of Education to reach a fair deal regarding the promised pay raise for teachers. If that does not happen, the union should thoughtfully consider its response. If the majority of teachers vote to strike, we should strike; if the majority of teachers vote not to strike, we should not. Requiring a 75 percent vote favoring a strike is clearly unjust. This law is, in effect, telling CTU members that 25 percent plus one of its members, can dictate the actions of the union.= =Does this sound fair or democratic?= =CPS teachers must be willing and ready, despite state law, to strike this fall based on the will of the majority. We should make it clear that we intend to take action based on the will of the majority of our union members.= =And if the majority of the highest court in the land should rule that it is fair and just to single out one school district to rob its union members of majority rule, I am not sure what I will say to the next student who asks: "What kind of government do we have?"= =//James Mullane is a computer teacher at John L. Marsh Elementary School.//= = = =News= =home=