Facing an unprecedented round of new cuts and mass layoffs, the CTU will rally in protest on Monday.
MEDIA PLANNING ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Stephanie Gadlin
November 20, 2015 312/329-6250 (office)
CTU’s Karen Lewis to lead thousands of members in Monday’s labor rally as members gear up to take strike authorization vote
CHICAGO –The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) will hold a spirited winter labor solidarity rally at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, November 23rd in Grant Park at Butler Field. Thousands of teachers, paraprofessionals and school clinicians will be joined by students, parents, elected officials, activists, clergy and others in a spirited event designed to showcase the union’s solidarity and prepare its members for an upcoming strike authorization vote. The rally, which will feature a keynote address by CTU President Karen Lewis and a special performance by Hip Hop group Rebel Diaz, is free and open to the general public and will include free food and hot beverages for participants.
Teachers will also pay special tribute to victims of Chicago’s gun violence, including Dr. Betty Howard, a special education teacher at Brooks Academy, who was killed by gunfire in May 2014, and the scores of CPS students impacted by the city’s homicides and out-of-control gun violence. The following is for media planning purposes. A press riser and “mult-box” will be made available for broadcast media; and other reporters.
WHO:
Chicago Teachers Union officials: President Karen Lewis, Vice President Jesse Sharkey, Recording Secretary Michael Brunson, Financial Secretary Kristine Mayle; CTU’s Big Bargaining Team; CTU Rank and File members; Loretta Johnson, secretary/treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers, Washington, D.C.; Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery; Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., president Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Ald. Sue Garza (10th Ward); Rep. Mary E. Flowers (31st); Rep. Robert Martwick (19th District); Ken Franklin, president Amalgamated Transit Union Local 308; Tommy Sams, president Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241; Keith Kelleher, president Service Employees International Union/HCII; Audrey Sauglin, president Illinois Education Association; Aislin Pulley, Black Lives Matter; Destiny Evans, student leader, Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep; Matthew Mata, student leader, Walter Payton Prep High School; family of the late Dr. Betty Howard, CPS teacher killed by gun violence; Joanne Murray, AFSCME rank and file leader; Elder Kevin Ford, St. Paul Church of God in Christ; Mike Siviwe Elliot, Chicago Alliance Against Political Repression; Atty. Rene Heyback, Chicago Coaltion for the Homeless; Asia Harris, spoken word artist; Katelyn Johnson, executive director of Action NOW; Anna Jones, Dyett Hunger Striker/Kenwood Oakwood Community Organization; Stephanie De Leon, student leader, Brighten Park Neighborhood Council; Rev. Paul Jakes, pastor New Tabernacle of Faith, MB Church; Rebel Diaz; and, others.
WHAT:
CTU Winter Labor Solidarity Rally & Community Tailgate
WHEN:
Monday, November 23, 2015
5:30 PM to 7:30 PM*
(A pre-rally speak out begins at 4:30 p.m. in preparation for the main event)
WHERE:
Butler Field, Grant Park
100 S. Lake Shore Drive
###
The Chicago Teachers Union represents nearly 27,000 teachers and educational support personnel working in the Chicago Public Schools, and by extension, the more than 400,000 students and families they serve. The CTU is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Federation of Teachers and is the third largest teachers local in the United States and the largest local union in Illinois. For more information please visit CTU’s website at http://www.ctunet.com.
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Diane Ravitch's blog 
If only there were a Karen Lewis in every city to lead the teachers, and if only all the teacher union locals would go on strike at once, walk out and see just how much this society needs them at their difficult jobs every day all day all year working with our 50 million kids. Walk-out with Karen and any other teacher union leader not yet bought by Gates and other billionaires, finally and decisively draw that long-overdue line in the sand, yell back to the teacher union heads and the cronies in govt. to stop the shameful looting of public schools and disgraceful abuse of kids with standardized testing. Union locals will have to fight this out on their own b/c their renegade union chiefs Randi and Lily of AFT/NEA threw k-12 under the bus and took the education war off the table by prematurely forcing Hillary down our throats with no policy or plan from H. to rescue public schools from the billionaires’ war on them.
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Diane, from an earlier post I see Michelle Rhee has a little spare time. Think we can coax her to come out of retirement to help effect some CPS layoffs? We could even make a documentary depicting how the teachers to be laid off had horrible VAM scores.
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You are something.
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I love Chicago’s Union. They have that solidarity between teachers, parents and students. The corruption and fleecing of Chicago’s public schools is by local politicians and corporate raiders. These people suck and deserve the worst for stealing from kids to enrich themselves. This will not end well for them. I think the public should be able to opt out of CPS if their monies are being spent to enrich private interests. Much love and support for a union not afraid to advocate for the best educational interest of kids and their membership. UTLA, take notice and stop selling your membership out.
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The Federación de Maestros de Puerto Rico held a one day, island-wide strike on Tuesday. Since 2014, 135 schools have been closed and class sizes have soared to 40. Hedge funders want to close 400 more schools and open charters, turning 15% of schools per year into charters. See Julian Vasquez Helig’s report here:
http://www.progressive.org/news/2015/11/188428/puerto-ricos-school-crisis
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Oh, really, Audrey Soglin (not spelled Saughlin, & not president of the IEA–that would be Cinda Klickna) is scheduled to come? Soglin’s the Exec. Director of IEA. And, as a rank-&-file member of the IEA, I’d like to ask what she’s done for public education in ILL-Annoy? She was there with Stand for Children’s Jonah Edelman, signing on to SB 7. Therefore, her appearance appears to be for, well, the sake of appearance.
In this case, Audrey & the IEA leaders must talk the talk, & not just walk. (Oh, also, the IEA hasn’t held a Lobby Day in Springfield for several years, which has been our equivalent of making our presence known.) One year Lobby Day was cancelled (or never even scheduled): we were given the excuse that there was construction going on in the Capitol Bldg.& in the streets (we found none), making it hard to get around. (Fred took 2 buses obtained by Park Ridge EA, also taking north suburban members who had contacted him & wanted to come), & you’ll find the famous picture in his blog archives of a very small area in the Capitol Bldg. cordoned off w/an under construction tape.
In the meantime, numerous schools had come down to make presentations in a science fair or some such, the chambers were filled with legislators conducting business, and the balconies were filled with spectators.
That having been said, I, too, stand with the C.T.U. And CORE leaders listen to and fight for their members, Chicago students, parents & communities, & keeping public schools out of the hands of privatizers.
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