Chicago Teachers Union vote to okay strike as bargaining tool for pay increase. Screen shot via CTU website.

The ballots have been counted. The third largest school district in the country, Chicago Public Schools, has voted “yes” to authorizing a strike if the teacher’s union and the city can’t come to a consensus over benefits and pay.

Stemming from budget cuts last year, Mayor Rahm Emmanuel took back a promised 4% pay increase for teachers and moved to increase the length of school days. Most Chicago teachers argue that the proposed 20% classroom time should net them a 20% pay raise, plus the 4% that was taken from them and another 5% on top of that for 2012s merit increase. CPS (Chicago Public Schools) argues that they have given teachers a guaranteed 2% increase, but teachers are saying that’s not enough.

The increased school day was proposed by Mayor Rahm Emmanuel which he argues would keep Chicago in step with the rest of the county. CPS claims that Chicago students spend 22% less time in the classroom than the average student throughout the country. This is an argument CPS has taken to their website, in a battle for the support of CPS parents.

Chicago Teacher’s Union President Karen Lewis gave a press conference this morning, asking CPS to stop and listen to the voices of the labor forces that help mold the future of students. She insisted the potential strike and pay raise request is made in the exclusive interest of students. The teacher’s union also wants to limit class size for teachers, something that CPS says they simply cannot afford. One reporter asked Ms. Lewis to comment on the skeptics who claim that the potential strike is in interest of adults and not students, questioning the “What about the children?” mantra and whose interest the potential strike would really be in. Lewis responded something to the effect,  ‘You can’t help students unless you help those who teach them first’.

(Now, isn’t that the same argument the banking industry make about their top tier executives? I’m just sayin’.)

CPS is really pretty ticked about the whole thing. They wanted the teacher’s union to wait until an independent group gave their recommendations in July for a compromise between teachers and CPS. CPS says they are 2 billion dollars in the red.

So, the battle lines are drawn.

If Chicago teacher’s strike, it will be the first time in 25 years. Teachers do not get paid while on strike.

So, what do you think? Should Chicago teachers get an almost 30% increase?

According to the Chicago Sun Times, the average school teacher makes $71,000 a year. If the teacher’s union gets the raise they’re asking for, the average Chicago school teacher will make over $90,000 a year. (Geez, where’s the blogger’s union? I want me a union, GD!)

Apparently, the U.S. withholding monetary aid from the newly elected terrorist organization, Hamas, who has recently been elected by the Palestinian peoplen to run their government, is proving to bite the Palestinian people in the butt. Teachers have not been paid salaries for six months. What do you expect when the people’s voices represent the desire for death, destruction and violent hatred towards Jews and Christians. This tends to cause slight hostility in the world.

The strike is supposedly an act of pressure to unite the government and make Hamas concede to the fact that Israel can and does exist. So, the strike itself is a hopeful sign that some of the people want a more united government and one that doesn’t preach contempt and violence.

Personally, I don’t think Hamas gives a crap if the children are in school or not. They probably welcome ignorance and they certainly don’t care about children. As people willing to kill their own children in order to kill a few Jews or Christians, these aren’t exactly the kind of people that value the traditional wants and desires of humanity (peace and happiness). An uneducated population would only serve their purposes to brainwash and suppress the people even further. A hungry country becomes even more desperate, but what are we to do? We have given them a ton of aid in the past and it only benefited a few in dictatorial positions, to buy mansions and live the life of luxury. The people aren’t told that we have given them aid. There is no freedom of speech or freely flowing and accurate news. All the people know is their terrorist sponsored propaganda.

I guess you get the government you deserve…

Children Bear Brunt of Palestinian Standoff
Written by The Media Line Staff
Published Sunday, September 03, 2006

Most Palestinian children did not start the school year on Saturday as Palestinian teachers and government employees announced their largest strike since Hamas came to power in January.
 
Teachers and civil servants are striking because many have not received salaries in six months.
 
The strike is said to be spearheaded by supporters of Fatah in order to pressure Hamas into accepting a unity government and resolving the current political and financial crisis.
 
Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States, came to power in the January legislative elections.
 
Most international aid money to the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) was subsequently frozen. But Hamas has refused to fall into line with international demands, which include renouncing terrorism, recognizing Israel and acknowledging previously signed agreements with Israel.
 
P.A. Chairman Mahmoud ‘Abbas, who is also a senior Fatah member, hopes a unity government will force Hamas into recognizing Israel and help ease the embargo on the P.A.
 
The P.A. employs 165,000 workers, most of whom have not received proper salaries in six months.
 
The strike was a success as most teachers did not come to work in both the West Bank and in Gaza, Fatah officials said. Read the rest…