But We’re in New York! How Does
Chicago’s Strike Impact Us?
We have seen our brothers and sisters from the Chicago
Teachers Union frequently in the news since they decided to strike on September
10. With tonight’s CTU decision to end
the strike, they will continue to remain in the public eye until ratification
of their contract is reached.
Since last week, colleagues have asked me why we, as New York
State teachers, cannot strike and what impact the CTU’s actions could have on
us.
In 1969, the Taylor Law (Public Employees Fair Employment Act) was
enacted in New York. It gives us the
ability to collaboratively bargain with our employers on our terms of
employment. The RVCTA contract is the
result of our bargaining efforts on behalf of our members. In exchange for our
collective bargaining rights, New York State employees are prohibited from
striking. Penalties for striking could
result in forfeiture of pay or job. For
more information on the Taylor Law, please visit our website, found at http://ny.aft.org/rvcta.
On the other hand, Chicago teachers do have the legal right
to strike and did so because an accord could not be reached in contract
negotiations. The strike was the first for the city's teachers in 25 years.
Earlier this week, CTU spokesperson Stephanie Gadlin stated,
“The Chicago Teachers Union is
striking over mandatory subjects of bargaining such as compensation, evaluation
procedures and the conditions within our classrooms. If this was an illegal
strike the Chicago Public Schools would have sought injunctive relief on day
one. The law provides that if a strike is illegal only the labor board
has jurisdiction to stop a strike. CPS has never filed any claim with the labor
board that our strike is illegal.” (http://www.ctunet.com/blog)
Teacher evaluation remained a main point of discussion in
their negotiations, supporting a direct correlation between Chicago teachers
and those in New York State. The CTU strike expressed a
nationwide message that use of student data in teacher evaluations is not simply
a local problem and that data-driven education reform relies too heavily on standardized
tests.
We know that politics can play a heavy hand in our
educational environs. Mayoral control has
been in place in Chicago for 15 years, resulting in dissolution of its elected school board and
replacement with a mayor-appointed commission.
New York City, Washington, D.C. and some other major cities also utilize
mayoral control in the governing of their school systems.
More
recently, this was attempted in Rochester. Thankfully, NYSUT and
community members actively campaigned against this bill, which passed in the
Assembly but never came to a vote in the Senate.
While a tentative contract in Chicago was worked out over
the weekend, there were still some points that required discussion and
clarification. As Monday and Tuesday
were religious holidays, the CTU said that they would return to the table on
Tuesday evening so that students might be able to return to school on
Wednesday. Rahm Emanuel, in what
appeared to be a bullying tactic, then filed an injunction to force teachers
back into their classrooms, stating that the strike was based on non-economic
issues and posed a danger to students’ health and safety. On Monday, September 17, Chicago Judge Peter
Flynn determined that an injunction hearing would not be held immediately and would instead be rescheduled for
10:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Furthermore, the judge questioned whether that
hearing would even be needed if indeed the strike had come to a conclusion by
that time. As we now know, his
prescience prevented unneeded legal time and expense, resulting in students
returning to the classroom tomorrow.
Observe
what has been happening in Chicago and you will see that the CTU is giving us a
perfect example of “solution-driven unionism.”
The CTU is proactively working to solve the many problems they face in
Chicago’s schools. We, too, face problems,
locally and statewide, and deal with them in a proactive manner, not to pose
unnecessary arguments, but to resolve issues before they spin out of
control.
Listen
for the term, “solution-driven unionism.”
You will hear it with increasing frequency from our leaders.
As Randi
Weingarten says, “Solution-driven unionism doesn't simply call out what doesn't
work, although we do that when required, it points to a better way… For all
those tired of education conversations marked by finger-pointing and false
starts, take hope. Despite fiscal austerity, failed so-called reforms and an often-corrosive
climate, there are promising signs that collaboration, shared responsibility,
and a focus on quality and equity can rise above futile education wars.
Solution-driven unionism in all its many forms points a way to overcoming some
of the toughest challenges of the day for the benefit of our students and our
communities.” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randi-weingarten/what-matters-most_b_1799144.html )
Dick
Iannuzzi recently stated, “…there is more to do than just rally or lash
out at our critics or those in public office who have voted to critically
hinder public service, whether through devastating budget cuts or an unfair and
unworkable tax cap.
‘We need to lead and to do so by providing solutions — to be
what AFT President Randi Weingarten calls a "solution-driven union."
We need to "speak truth to power" when it comes to the devastating
impact decisions in Albany and Washington have had on our members and those we
serve. We need to "speak up and speak out" about the work we do so
well. And, we need to have a strategy that isn't about survival, but rather
about succeeding.“ (http://www.nysut.org/cps/rde/xchg/nysut/hs.xsl/nysutunited_18202.htm)
Mr.
Iannuzzi, in voicing NYSUT’s support of the CTU, said,
"Their fight is our fight. Their
struggle is our struggle."
Despite local or state boundaries, we remain brothers and
sisters, guiding our students to a lifetime of success.
