Monday, February 01, 2021

LATEST FROM CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION PRESIDENT

 February 1, 2021

Sisters and brothers:

Your solidarity is working! The mayor and CPS have agreed to continue bargaining tomorrow, Tuesday, as our members continue to teach and work remotely. We are not locked out today or tomorrow because of your unity, your commitment to your school communities, and your fearless solidarity.

Your resolve on the ground allowed us to make real progress at the bargaining table today on a number of the most difficult issues of this negotiation.

None of this is easy. I know that the uncertainty and risk we all confront takes a toll. And all of the progress we’ve made to date in winning real gains at the table is possible because of the tireless work and dedication of our rank and file members, our strike captains, our delegates, our parents, our allies, and ordinary Chicagoans who trust us to do what’s right by our schoolchildren.

We are literally working to steer CPS to a more responsible path to reopen schools safely, and we are winning. We don’t want a strike. We want to keep working remotely as we bargain an agreement to return to our classrooms safely. And despite the volley of harsh and rhetoric we’ve confronted over the weekend from management, they’ve agreed today to stay at the table rather than escalating conflict or locking out educators.

Parents, the public and the press all know we are staying remote, and that we are willing to keep teaching AND keep negotiating. Your resolve has convinced CPS and the Mayor to allow us to continue to educate the overwhelming majority of Black and Latinx students who continue to choose remote learning while we work on landing an agreement to return to our classrooms and our school communities SAFELY.

I am so proud to work with each and every one of you. You are setting an example for every educator in the nation that shows the power of unity, solidarity, courage, resolve, and the power of our commitment to the greater good. Stay strong. Our fight is righteous — and when we fight, we win.

In solidarity,

CTU President Jesse Sharkey

12 comments:

Shelley said...

Sharkey's writing, while not as poor as Mulgrew's writing is not very good. I often wonder if anyone proofreads Mulgrew's letters and statements because they are so often riddled with errors easily noticed and fixed. I'm not talking about grammar or punctuation but his meaning. He too often slides into ambiguity when a point must be made exact.

This letter from CTU's president, obviously composed under stress, has some obvious typos or mistakes that don't matter much because we can understand what is being said, but the tricky sentence about the Black and LatinX students is seriously flawed and can't be made out. Is he claiming that the majority of Black and LatinX students have opted for remote learning and they continue to want that and that the teachers will provide it? If that's it, he's failed to convey that to us. Or is he claiming that his teaching union, though dominated by white teachers and union leadership is serving predominately Black and LatinX students? In either case, why even introduce the race of students in this argument for remote teaching? If that's it, this does nothing to strengthen the argument. Moreover, while CTU has effectively allied its cause with parents and students, who are predominantly students of color, there is no logical reason to foreground this in this letter.

In any event, I wish them success.

James Eterno said...

More from CTU:

Bargaining continues today, where your action is producing some progress. We learned last week that only 19 percent of students eligible to return to in-person instruction on Jan. 11 have returned.

Nineteen percent.

CPS wants to present to parents that in-person learning right now — before vaccination and with high community spread of COVID-19 — can look like it did before the pandemic. The district is demanding that 80 percent of educators need to return for less than 20 percent of students.

Anonymous said...

I think this is where the black Latino piece was going.

https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/role-of-race-plays-big-factor-in-fight-for-reopening-of-cps-schools/

Anonymous said...

Equity can't be the argument for returning to in-person instruction, in a pandemic, when a) 80% of families — the majority of them Black and Brown — have chosen remote learning, b) COVID has hit these communities the hardest, and c) CPS has failed them for the past 20 years.

Moose said...

Moose Here...

Come on 2:27. We now in 2021 throw logic and reasoning out the window. For the Democratic Party is the Morality Party. If there is not "equity" for every outcome, then we must have done something wrong. God forbid accountability and merit come into play. Equity is NEVER going to exist unless they take something away from people who already have "it".

Are there instances where equity needs to occur more frequently? Of course. I'm just so tired of hearing everything has to be equitable on all fronts. Time to get ready for another 15 students TOTAL for 3 classes. Let me guess, it's the teachers' fault that there aren't equal outcomes when students are blindly not coming to class? The parents take no responsibility? But then I'm the problem or "I'm lucky to have a job".

Carranza, YOU created this. "Never waste a good crisis" were the scariest words you have ever said during the pandemic. This disaster of a learning tool is how you want a radical, "Progressive" aka racial at times agenda. I'm going to teach who shows up and do my best. Let's stop identifying everyone in their skin color and let's identify them based on who they are as people. MLK Jr. would be sick to his stomach right now.

Anonymous said...

Now now people. Our woke chancellor who must know better because of his skin color wants schools open. Stop the racism of denying children of color their right to in person learning. The elite private schools are open for their mostly white families. Equity of outcome means NYC public schools must open too. Don't you want your students to have an education that's equitable to Governor Newsome's children? His rich white kids are in school. Other considerations or variables you say? Sorry but that's not the progressive agenda. There are no approved variables. Equity of outcome means the outcome (schools open) needs to be the same. This is what the left fought for. The left wasn't content fighting for equity of opportunity. They wanted that something extra. You should be celebrating. The woke progressive chancellor and the woke progressive mayor are demanding and getting the equity of outcome y'all fought for. I just realized this means I have to not just pass kids who haven't done any work but I need to give 3s and 4s. All of the white kids in my suburban social circle are getting high grades. It wouldn't be equitable to withhold those high grades from my nonwhite students.

Anonymous said...

huh?

waitingforsupport said...

I am reminded of the poem, All but Blind
by Walter de la Mare when I visit this site.

Anonymous said...

Merit is racist.

Anonymous said...

huh?

Anonymous said...

Whenever I read this blog I think of the poem “Socialism Kills” by David Welch

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a case of capitalist projection