Three Strikes and You’re Out

If only the baseball rule applied to the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) officials who are threatening a third strike in seven years.   The problem stems from the fact that the CTU’s hand chosen, and financed, candidate was not elected mayor, so teacher union officials are not dealing with an official who is beholden to them in any way.   Although strikes are legal in Illinois, under certain conditions, the last CTU strike was “likely illegal.”

The Chicago Teachers Pension Fund is short by billions of dollars and the teachers are already the highest-paid in the country for their experience and education level.  What are they looking for?

Tivas Gupta has the story on illinoispolicy.org.

As contract negotiations with newly-elected Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot have grown increasingly tense, the Chicago Teachers Union, or CTU, threatened on July 12 to walk out on students before the school year had even begun.

In an email, according to Crain’s Chicago Business, CTU President Jesse Sharkey said, “Candidate Lightfoot has vowed there will be no teachers strike on her watch. Mayor Lightfoot has a month to make good on that and her campaign promises.”