The Chicago teachers’ strike is over but it performed a valuable service that reaches far beyond Chicago and its educators. In recent years, the union movement was recoiling from blow after blow as its adversaries attempted to destroy it by passing right-to-work laws in the states, attacking it in state courts with challenges to due process, and winning a Supreme Court victory (Janus) that was intended to kill the unions off.
But the teachers’ strikes that began in West Virginia in 2018 and continued through the Chicago strike point to a new brand of teacher activism.
Although legislatures have tried to limit collective bargaining solely to wages and benefits, the new unionism has a different vision, which they call “bargaining for the common good.”
Teachers are as concerned about children’s health and well-being, about class size, about having a full-time nurse in every school as they are about their own wages. In Chicago, they worked out the salary gains before the strike started. The strike was about improving conditions for students. It was a demand that public money be used for the common good, to meet the needs of children. Teachers care about support staff, not just themselves. We saw that in West Virginia, in Los Angeles and in Chicago. Expect to see it in more districts.
Rebecca Burns wrote in The Intercept about the new unionism, before the Chicago strike was settled.
She wrote:
“A central element of Bargaining for the Common Good is researching and identifying the banks, private equity firms, and hedge funds who are pulling the strings,” said Marilyn Sneiderman, executive director of the Rutgers Center for Innovation in Worker Organization. “The CTU’s demand that [public resources] be used to fund schools, not subsidize developers, is a good example of this.”
The new teacher activism takes on privatization and other means of diverting public funds away from the common good.
“The common good” is a powerful idea. It requires a sense of collaboration and connectedness, an understanding that we share a common destiny and that we cannot thrive unless all of us thrive.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Here’s an idea: all the teachers’ unions band together to call a general strike to end the federal high-stakes testing mandate.
Excellent idea if it can be coordinated across state lines. A general strike by k-12 teachers to end testing is a powerful idea, even a regional strike would be a strong pressure on state and federal authorities to close shop on the testing mania. This society cannot function if our 3mil public schoolteachers go on strike b/c there is nothing else to supervise and care for the 50mil school kids. Teachers already have enormous power in their hands to shut down economic and everyday life for the public good. Given the deep sabotage of public schools nationally and persistence of over-testing and childhood poverty and enormous class sizes, the time is right.
Ofc, teachers have typically done this–have sought in their negotiations goods for others in addition to themselves. But it is a superb development for this to be highlighted and carried forward as policy.
Yes, the Common Good strategy is so very right as how West Virginia won by earning the public’s support by showing how the children and families were hurt by the nickel and dime-ing by that Legislature for years had hurt the whole fabric of society. I know about Chicago. I grew up there and taught in one of the toughest high schools on the West Side years ago. So much damage in recent years under Rahm and the BOE Chair and neighborhood school closings.
Bravo Teachers! Bravo CTU and SEIU! They took one for the team. They took one for the community. They took one for kids and the future.
Sadly, it’s and 21st century O’Henry story. In order to serve kids, they had to stop serving kids. In order provide care and support for kids they had to stop providing care and support.
No disrespect to auto workers or those affected by unfair practices of the corporate big wigs, the weight of a strike on the conscience of teachers and school service providers is enormous. When teachers, support service workers, nurses, police, doctors… stop doing what they do, they know it is putting children and others at risk. That’s heavy.
Teachers work every day and night and weekends doing what is right and good and just for kids. In CPS and schools across the country, they recognize the absence of services, programs, and supports in the community and in their schools which if present, they could devote 100% of what do best and are supposed to do: teach, care about kids, and teach some more!
Why? Because a significant percentage of CPS or your local school district budget is spent on non-direct education services? 5% of a $100-million or a $1-million budget to provide preK, social workers, and other services means $5-million or $50,000 not spent on teachers, lowering class sizes, aides, and classroom resources.
CIties and towns are supposed to provide safety and social services (and take care of pot holes). Legislators and alderpeople and governors are supposed to insure funding for those services are in their budgets (not the schools’).
So where are the leaders – mayors, state legislators, U.S. legislators, county executives, alderpersons, town councils, city managers, governors and the thousands of others who ran no doubt on a position of “taking care of all of all our constituents” and “providing safety and quality of life in our neighborhoods”? Where are people who control budgets that should be paying for meals, health workers, social workers, wrap around services, attendance officers, safety officers and other non-direct educational necessary services in schools.
When a candidate promises to “take care of…” and “to serve…” the turnout of “be specific” and “prove it” should be as loud and present as teachers and support staff who take one for the team time and again.
And, it’s as O’Henry-esque that “greater good” leaders and policy makers have stopped serving because of the intimidation and wave of hate perpetuated by the person who should be the leader and model of service and the greater good.
They are afraid of a presidential tweet or the wrath of a town hall meeting rally of angry fist shakers (have you noticed what a room full of people stretched arms taking pictures of the president looks like). They run under the shadow of the corporate boys turned loose now by a no-tax-the-rich deregulating president.
What happened to the right and good I-want-to-serve leaders who should take care of schools AND entire communities? Those good folks are now running against the angry-brigade of maga (mawa) leader wannabes and candidates bought and sold by the president’s opening of the dark money floodgates.
Teachers put their consciences – individual and collective – on the picket line so kids and underserved families have the education AND services necessary to survive and to realize a bright future. It’s a stretch to think any elected gop would break ranks even at the local level to do what is good for their communities if it raises taxes or provides a meal for a kid living in poverty. But if they ever show up like, in person, at a community forum – the crowds should be as large as those who just marched by the thousands to take a stance .
“It’s a stretch to think any elected gop would break ranks even at the local level to do what is good for their communities if it raises taxes or provides a meal for a kid living in poverty.”
There is an election for local politicians in my county in NW Indiana on Nov. 5. [Forgive me if every state has an election on that date. Duh.]
I’m not giving all the blah but you’ll get the idea.
All of the flyers advertise like this:
On Election Day, Tuesday, November 5th
Continue the progress…
CTU used its negotiating power to force the mayor to pull away from the neo-liberal polices of the previous administrations. These polices gave generous incentives to developers while disinvesting in public education. In addition to salary improvements, the union was able to change the governance of the board of education to any elected board. This change returns some democratic governance to Chicago residents. Hopefully, what happened in Chicago and will encourage other districts to negotiate for better resources and working conditions in future contracts.
True educators should ALWAYS have the greater good as the bottom line. THAT is what real education is about. Just as we need statesmen, not just politicians, so too should we have educators, not just teachers. Unions, not just teachers unions, in the past which focused JUST on their own interests are not only myopic, but lose their public following.
In the classroom there are instructors: 2 + 2 = 4,; teachers who teach why 2 +- 2 = 4 and educators who teach a comprehensive understanding of the beauty of mathematics as can be found in 2 + 2 =4.
Since banks, private equity firms, and hedge funds have turned into destroyers of the common good, teachers unions have become defenders of the common good. It makes sense, and will have to continue until neoliberalism is made to vanish and the very existence of fully-funded public education is safe.
One thing that would help would be if states didn’t compete against each other for the honor of having one or another big business open a facility in their neck of the woods. If no one offered ridiculous incentive packages, that bargaining chip would be lost and public dollars would go back to funding public services. I know it’s not quite that simple, but I do think that states/municipalities have lost sight of the long term costs of these deals. I know that in Illinois that has not stopped corporations from fudging on promises, one trick being to move jobs from one facility nearby to the one where they are seeking subsidies. There is no where near the net gain in jobs claimed since they are just shuffling jobs.
The biggest subsidy that states have given employers is a low wage labor force, complements of Taft Hartley. Right to Work being part of the equation that puts states in competition, in a race to the bottom. In order to be effective RTW requires employers willing to resist collective bargaining. Those employers located in Right to Work states precisely because they were resistant to collective bargaining. Pitting desperate worker against desperate worker in different states in a race to the bottom.
If there is a question as to how effective Janus was or will be; it is that it was aimed at those States and localities that are not resistant to collective bargaining. As that the NLRA does not cover Public Employees any state that wanted to could already limit bargaining rights. Janus was aimed at those states that hadn’t. Now any State that wants to can be resistant to negotiations or limit bargaining rights and any worker who wants to will not pay dues.
How to handle a Public Employee Strike is always a political calculation on the part of the employer, the state. Appealing to the common good is leverage to pressure the employer who in-turn is elected by the citizenry. Walker was elected 3 times.
Devouring the working class is a long term project and the beast takes its time and does not go away. As we saw in West Virginia after the 18 strike the State tried to introduce charters in 19. And they will try again.
Teachers need to continue teaching other workers in this way, reminding them that power can be in the hands of the people. Much, much love and honor to our brothers and sisters in the CTU and the other teachers’ unions that have called strikes in the past couple years. Let’s make this the beginning.
Teachers, by walking, teaching.
Posted at OPED News https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Bargaining-for-the-Common-in-Best_Web_OpEds-Activism_Collaboration_Diane-Ravitch_Labor-Unions-191104-212.html#comment749145. with this comment
We must gather together at the grassroots level, NOW, and take back our country. Making our UNIONS work for us again, is the start.
UNIONS are the beginning.”the teachers’ strikes that began in West Virginia in 2018 and continued through the Chicago strike point to a new brand of teacher activism.”
We have to take back our nation from the power-elite, the billionaires and corporation who now hold the power over our legislatives our government — thanks to Citizen United; they are systematically destroying everything that a thriving society needs, health care, housing, education.
Their rogue lawyers find loopholes so the can commit grand theft and put their money off-shore. Their purchased Justices screw the people out of things they once had.
They own the media and control the internet. they have weaponized disinformation.
Only by putting our voices together, can we prevail.
Susan Lee Schwartz: This Supreme Court is not one to be trusted. Trump appoints and then they reward him. Something is way off balance. The BIG QUESTION is “What is he so desperate to hide?”
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The New York Times
Breaking News Alert
November 04, 2019
BREAKING NEWS
President Trump lost another round in his fight to keep his tax returns secret from Manhattan prosecutors as a federal court rejected his appeal.
Monday, November 4, 2019 10:49 AM EST
A federal appeals panel on Monday said President Trump’s accounting firm must turn over eight years of his personal and corporate tax returns to Manhattan prosecutors, a setback for the president’s attempt to keep his financial records private.
But the tax returns are not likely to be handed over soon. Mr. Trump has fought vigorously to shield his tax returns, and the case appears headed to the United States Supreme Court.
Sen. Bernie Sanders interrupts Chicago Teachers Union podcast with phone call: ‘You guys have won a victory that will not only be for Chicago but be for the whole country’
By HANNAH LEONE
CHICAGO TRIBUNE |
NOV 04, 2019
“Well, listen,” Sanders said. “I just called to congratulate you and the union on what looked to me like a very significant victory at a time of having a major funding crisis and staffing crisis in public education. You guys have won a victory that will not only be for Chicago but be for the whole country. So very proud of what you have accomplished. Look forward to working with you in the future.”
A spokesperson for the Sanders campaign confirmed the call and said it was not prearranged.
Sharkey thanked Sanders for his support, his work toward educational justice and for headlining a CTU rally in the days leading up to the strike.
When the call ended, the hosts shared their excitement.
“That was awesome,” said co-host Jim Staros, who teaches at King College Prep. “I have my Bernie sticker on underneath this shirt.”
While the teachers union has not endorsed a presidential candidate, all three front-runners endorsed the union in their contract fight. In addition to Sanders’ rally appearance, Sen. Elizabeth Warren joined teachers on picket lines, and former Vice President Joe Biden called in support. Many candidates, including Julián Castro and Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, have also stated their support for Chicago’s educators on social media.
“This is a victory for students and Chicago public schools. Teachers deserve to be paid well for the critical work they provide for our kids. Honored to meet with @CTULocal1 this month to hear their concerns — so great to see this resolution,” Booker tweeted Thursday.
Harris also used Twitter to congratulate the union: “This is a promising step forward for Chicago public schools. Our children deserve to have a nurse and social worker in every school for early intervention, and our teachers deserve manageable class sizes. I’m glad that will now be a reality.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-cps-chicago-teachers-strike-tentative-agreement-bernie-sanders-20191104-wzxw5nztinbjlamdxpgc6ykylm-story.html