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The Chicago Teachers’ Strike: A Reader

9/18/2013

7977902651_6abc97c433_zThe 2012 Chicago teachers’ strike, which ended a year ago today in a victory for the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU),  was one of the most significant labour victories in North America since the economic crash of 2008. The seven day strike saw daily protests in downtown Chicago and mass pickets throughout the city.

The CTU, under the leadership of the Caucus of Rank and File Educators (CORE), which had won the union leadership in 2010, diligently built alliances and links with communities and parents in the lead up to the strike. They took stances for more funding and resources for children and they opposed the school closures that were (and still are) taking place in predominantly African American communities. CORE also actively reached out and empowered their membership ctu strikewhile rebuilding their shop stewards network. CTU’s high strike vote shows the success of CORE’s outreach and democratic practice, 90% percent of the CTU’s 29,000 members voted to authorize strike action (of those that voted it was 98%). The strike dealt a firm blow to Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s neoliberal education agenda of laying off teachers and privatizing more and more of Chicago’s schools. The struggle over the fate of the education system in Chicago and beyond is of course still ongoing

We at Rank and File.ca believe that this strike should be studied and generalized. Moreover, we think that trade unionists should be looking at how CORE organized from below and were able to reach out and speak to the issues of their membership and the community and empower them to take action. In that spirit we present to you a list of readings and videos to learn more about this strike, how it was organized and why it was successful.

Video

“CTU Strikes 1969 – 1987” by CORE 
“Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis: Deal Ending Strike a Victory for Education” by Democracy Now
“Chicago Teachers Union vs. Astroturf Billionaires” by CTU New Media
“Chicago Teacher” by Rebel Diaz
“Defend our Schools: Fighting for Education Justice!” by Socialism Conference 2013
“Chicago Teachers’ Strike” by Labor Beat
“CTU STRIKE ONE YEAR LATER: Karen Lewis on why we fought” by CTU

Articles

“When the Chicago teachers rose up” by Lee Suster
“Hello My Name Is…Reflections of the CTU Strike” a Prezi presentation by Nicole Zumpano
“Lessons of Chicago teachers’ strike” by David Bernt
“‘Class’ Warfare: A Primer on the Chicago Teachers Strike” by Justin Panos
“How Chicago Teachers Got Organized to Strike” by Norine Gutekanst
“What the Chicago teachers accomplished” by Lee Sustar
“7 Days that Shook Chicago: The 2012 Chicago Teachers Strike” by Peter Brogan
“The Rebirth of the Chicago Teachers Union and Possibilities for a Counter-Hegemonic Education Movement” by Eric Gutsteinand Pauline Lipman
“Chicago Teachers’ Strike changed the World” by Lois Weiner
“Creating a New Model of Social Union: CORE and the Chicago Teachers Union” by Robert Bartlett
“Chicago Teacher Organizing Lessons Go National” by Samantha Winslow
“The Schools Chicago’s Students Deserve” A report by the CTU
 
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By admin

Categories // education, strategy & tactics, Uncategorized

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