Nation’s First Charter Strike Averted
Once again, teacher union officials at charter schools take the best page from the playbook of their fellows at public schools and threaten a strike to show their power to intimidate. It is interesting to note the rank and file has not voted on the contract yet. Do union officials really speak for their members? Matt Masterson has the story on Chicago Tonight, wttw.com.
Following a “marathon” bargaining session, educators at Passages Charter School announced they have reached a tentative three-year contract agreement with school management. The deal came hours before staff were set to walk out on strike Thursday morning in what would have been the first-ever charter teachers strike in the U.S.
This is the third time this school year a Chicago charter network has reached a last-minute contract agreement to avert a strike. Last October, the United Educators of UNO came to an early morning deal with their management team just before their planned strike date. Educators from four ASPIRA charter schools also agreed to a new contract in March, one week before their walkout date.